Effect of a bulge on the subharmonic instability of boundary layers

The influence of a two-dimensional hump on the three-dimensional (3-D) subharmonic secondary instability on a flat plate is investigated. The mean flow is calculated by using interacting boundary layers, thereby accounting for the viscid/inviscid interaction. The primary wave is taken in the form of a two-dimensional (2-D) Tollmien-Schlichting (T-S) wave. The secondary wave is taken in the form of a 3-D subharmonic wave. The results show that increasing the hump height results in an increase in the amplification factors of the primary and subharmonic waves. When the hump causes separation, the growth rates of both the primary and subharmonic waves are considerably larger than those obtained in the case of no separation.