Spatial natural oscillations of a boundary layer with a triple-deck velocity field structure

The beforehand unclear relation between the viscous-inviscid interaction and the instability of viscous gas flows is illustrated using three-dimensional boundary-layer perturbations in the case of sub- and supersonic outer flows. The assumptions are considered under which asymptotic boundary layer equations with self-induced pressure are derived and the excitation mechanisms of eigenmodes (i.e., Tollmien–Schlichting waves) are described. The resulting dispersion relations are analyzed. The boundary layer in a supersonic flow is found to be stable with respect to two-dimensional perturbations, whereas, in the three-dimensional case, the modes become unstable. The increment of growth is investigated as a function of the Mach number and the orientation of the front of a three-dimensional Tollmien–Schlichting wave.