OCEN 678 Fluid Dynamics for Ocean and Environmental Engineering

Boundary Layer Approximation

Learning Objectives:
1. Develop approximations to the exact solution by eliminating negligible contributions to
the solution using scale analysis

Topics/Outline:
1. Characteristic scales and the definition of non-dimensional variables
2. Scale analysis
3. The boundary layer equations
4. Blasius boundary layer: equations for a uniform outer flow

Reading:

Currie, I.G. (2003). Fundamental Mechanics of Fluids, third edition. Marcel Dekker, Inc.:
New York. QA901 .C8 2003
Chapter 9
Kundu, P.K. and Cohen, I.M. (2008). Fluid Mechanics, fourth edition. Academic Press:
New York. QA901 .K86 2008, previous edition as electronic resource: QA901 .K86
2002eb
Chapter 10
Newman, J.N. (1977). Marine Hydrodynamics. The MIT Press: Cambridge, MA. VM156
.N48, also available as electronic resource: VM156 .N48 1977eb
Chapter 3
Spurk, J.H. and Aksel, N. (2008). Fluid Mechanics, second edition. Springer Verlag: Berlin.
TA357 .S68513 2008eb
Chapter 12

S. Socolofsky 1