Influence of glow discharge on evolution of disturbance in a hypersonic boundary layer: The effect of second mode

Abstract

This is the companion volume on the effects of artificial disturbance on the transition process of a boundary layer over a flat plate. The artificial disturbance with the frequency in the range of second-mode instability is introduced into the boundary layer by glowing discharge on the surface of the plate. Experiments are performed using Rayleigh-scattering visualization, wall pressure pulsations measurement, and high-frequency schlieren visualization in the φ300 mm hypersonic quiet wind tunnel at Peking University. It is found that the second-mode instability waves are stimulated remarkably by the artificial disturbance, and the boundary layer transition is triggered effectively. The second-mode instability interacts with the first mode via a phase-lock mechanism, which leads to the rapid amplification of the first mode and the moving forward of transition location.