Non-Localized Acoustic Receptivity and Subsequent Disturbance Growth in a Blasius Boundary Layer
Acoustic receptivity was experimentally examined for a Blasius bound- ary layer with receptivity sites in the form of 2-D waviness and oblique waviness. Linear receptivity coefficients obtained for all values of forcing combinations (epsilon = (Delta)h) are in good agreement with receptivity theory. The measured receptivity increased markedly with increasing wave obliqueness. Detuning was investigated by varying the streamwise wavenumber, alpha(sub w), of the 2-D and oblique wall waviness. Oblique transition was also investigated by exciting a pair of oblique Orr-Sommerfeld (O-S) modes (f/fo +/- beta/beta(subn w) = (1 +/- 1). For large values of epsilon = (Delta)nh, a secondary instability was observed that ultimately lead to laminar breakdown. This instability appears to be driven by large spanwise velocity gradients, absolute value of dU/d(zeta).