Precision Flat Plate Boundary Layer Model
Polished aluminum flat plate (1.2 m length x 0.5 m span) with an elliptical leading edge and trailing edge flap.
Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering / Boundary Layer Profile
FREE TO EXPLORELABORATORY 05 · AEROSPACE & AERONAUTICAL ENGINEERING
Boundary Layer Velocity Profile and Displacement Thickness on a Flat Plate
Traverse a total-pressure boundary layer micro-probe across the laminar boundary layer of a flat plate to evaluate boundary layer thickness delta, displacement thickness delta*, and wall shear gradient du/dy. Explore interactive wind tunnel simulation, flight dynamics, and aerospace engineering telemetry.
AERODYNAMICS · PROPULSION · FLIGHT DYNAMICS
Your virtual aerospace engineering laboratory.
LOCAL VELOCITY U—
FLIGHT & TEST CELL TELEMETRY
Ready to sample with y = 2.0 mm.
Adjust y, then execute aerospace trial.
Aeronautical telemetry and flight states are evaluated rigorously using 64-bit IEEE 754 precision. Residuals reflect ordinary least-squares regression across successive observations. Continuous data structures support high-fidelity aerodynamic modeling.
Aeronautical assumptions and boundary condition limits
Laminar Blasius theory assumes infinite aspect ratio and negligible sidewall boundary layer cross-flow. The linear near-wall regression of velocity against height yields a wall shear gradient du/dy = 4.250 x 10^3 s^-1 with R^2 > 0.999999.
Aeronautical apparatus & wind tunnel sensors.
Flattened Boundary Layer Micro-Pitot Probe
Hypodermic needle flattened to 0.25 mm external height to minimize probe displacement errors near the wall.
Computer-Controlled Vertical Micro-Traverse
Steps the probe perpendicular to the plate with 0.005 mm repeatability and optical linear encoder.
Electrical Contact Continuity Sensor
Detects electrical contact between micro-probe tip and metallic plate to establish true y = 0 wall datum.
Ultra-Low Differential Pressure Transducer
Measures micro-dynamic heads down to 0.05 Pa with 0.01% full-scale accuracy.
Subsonic Wind Tunnel Boundary Layer Channel
Maintains low free-stream turbulence intensity Tu < 0.05% at U_inf = 20.0 m/s.
FOLLOW THE METHOD
A reason behind every step.
Traverse a total-pressure boundary layer micro-probe across the laminar boundary layer of a flat plate to evaluate boundary layer thickness delta, displacement thickness delta*, and wall shear gradient du/dy. Standardized parameter settings: 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0, 5.0, 6.0 mm.
01
Leading Edge Alignment and Zero Datum
Set flat plate angle to zero geometric incidence to ensure zero chordwise pressure gradient (dP/dx = 0), and locate y = 0 using electrical contact sensing.
02
Wind Tunnel Stabilization
Set free-stream velocity to U_inf = 20 m/s and record ambient temperature to establish kinematic viscosity nu = 1.50 x 10^-5 m^2/s.
03
Free-Stream Velocity Reference
Traverse the probe outside the boundary layer (y = 15 mm) to record undisturbed free-stream velocity U_inf.
04
Near-Wall Boundary Layer Traverse
Step the micro-probe through y = 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0, 5.0, and 6.0 mm, sampling 500 differential pressure readings at each station.
05
Velocity Profile Computation
Convert local dynamic pressures q(y) into local velocities u(y) using Bernoulli's formula: u = sqrt(2 * q / rho).
06
Integral Parameter Calculation
Perform numerical trapezoidal integration of the profile to determine displacement thickness delta*, momentum thickness theta, and shape factor H.
YOUR NOTEBOOK · 0 OBSERVATIONS
Turn measurements into aerodynamic insight.
Points are your recorded observations. The solid regression line validates Boundary Layer Profile mathematical scaling.
LINEAR REGRESSION FIT · y = mx + b
u(y) \approx \left(\frac{du}{dy}\right)_w y \implies u = m \cdot y + b
| # | Distance from Wall y (mm) | Local Velocity u (m/s) | Distance from Wall y (mm) | Boundary Layer Velocity u (m/s) | Remove |
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