ANALYSIS OF THE FALKNER–SKAN EQUATION IN BOUNDARY LAYERS AND ITS HYDRODYNAMIC APPLICATIONS

Abstract

One of the fundamental problems of modern hydro- and aerodynamics is the study of the motion of a viscous fluid along the surface of solid bodies. The boundary-layer theory proposed in 1904 by the German scientist Ludwig Prandtl brought a revolutionary change to fluid mechanics [1]. This theory makes it possible, at high Reynolds numbers, to decompose the flow into two distinct regions: a thin layer adjacent to the surface where viscous (frictional) forces are dominant, and an outer potential flow region where the effects of viscosity are negligible.