HYPERSONIC BOUNDARY-LAYER SEPARATION ON A COLD-WALL

An asymptotic theory of laminar hypersonic boundary-layer separation f or large Reynolds number is described for situations when the surface temperature is small compared with the stagnation temperature of the i nviscid external gas flow. The interactive boundary-layer structure ne ar separation is described by well-known triple-deck concepts but, in contrast to the usual situation, the displacement thickness associated with the viscous sublayer is too small to influence the external pres sure distribution (to leading order) for sufficiently small wall tempe rature. The present interaction takes place between the main part of t he boundary layer and the external flow and may be described as invisc id-inviscid. The flow in the viscous sublayer is governed by the class ical boundary-layer equations and the solution develops a singularity at the separation point. A main objective of this study is to show how the singularity may be removed in different circumstances.