We consider the influence of a smooth three-dimensional (3-D) indentation on the instability of an incompressible boundary layer by linear and nonlinear analyses. The numerical work was complemented by an experimental study to investigate indentations of approximately 11δ 99 and 22δ 99 width at depths of 45 %, 52 % and 60 % of δ 99 , where δ 99 indicates 99% boundary layer thickness. For these indentations a separation bubble confined within the indentation arises. Upstream of the indentation, spanwise-uniform Tollmien-Schlichting (TS) waves are assumed to exist, with the objective to investigate how the 3-D surface indentation modifies the 2-D TS disturbance. Numerical corroboration against experimental data reveals good quantitative agreement. Comparing the structure of the 3-D separation bubble to that created by a purely 2-D indentation, there are a number of topological changes particularly in the case of the widest indentation; more rapid amplification and modification of the upstream TS waves along the symmetry plane of the indentation is observed. For the shortest indentations, beyond a certain depth there are then no distinct topological changes of the separation bubbles and hence on flow instability. The destabilising mechanism is found to be due to the confined separation bubble and is attributed to the inflectional instability of the separated shear layer. Finally for the widest width indentation investigated (22δ 99 ), results of the linear analysis are compared with direct numerical simulations. A comparison with the traditional criteria of using N-factors to assess instability of properly 3-D disturbances reveals that a general indication of flow destabilisation and development of strongly nonlinear behaviour is indicated as N = 6 values are attained. However N-factors, based on linear models, can only be used to provide indications and severity of the destabilisation, since the process of disturbance breakdown to turbulence is inherently nonlinear and dependent on the magnitude and scope of the initial forcing.

Acoustic receptivity to Tollmien-Schlichting waves in the presence of surface roughness is investigated for a flat plate boundary layer using the time-harmonic incompressible linearized Navier-Stokes equations. It is shown to be an accurate and efficient means of predicting receptivity amplitudes, and therefore to be more suitable for parametric investigations than other approaches with DNS-like accuracy. Comparison with literature provides strong evidence of the correctness of the approach, including the ability to quantify non-parallel flow effects. These effects are found to be small for the efficiency function over a wide range of frequencies and local Reynolds numbers. In the presence of a two-dimensional wavy-wall, non-parallel flow effects are quite significant, producing both wavenumber detuning and an increase in maximum amplitude. However, a smaller influence is observed when considering an oblique Tollmien-Schlichting wave. This is explained by considering the non-parallel effects on receptivity and on linear growth which may, under certain conditions, cancel each other out. Ultimately, we undertake a Monte-Carlo type uncertainty quantification analysis with two-dimensional distributed random roughness. Its power spectral density (PSD) is assumed to follow a power law with an associated uncertainty following a probabilistic Gaussian distribution. The effects of the acoustic frequency over the mean amplitude of the generated two-dimensional Tollmien-Schlichting waves are studied. A strong dependence on the mean PSD shape is observed and discussed according to the basic resonance mechanisms leading to receptivity. The growth of Tollmien-Schlichting waves is predicted with non-linear parabolized stability equations computations to assess the effects of stochasticity in transition location.

A high fidelity methodology based on the rapid solution of a linearised Navier-Stokes equation set is used to model the role of distributed surface roughness in generating stationary crossflow disturbances on swept wing flows. The technique is based on a stochastic description of surface roughness linked to high precision measurement data for both anodised aluminium and painted surfaces. A Monte Carlo analysis of laminar-turbulent transition is demonstrated for data from the AERAST wind tunnel test which was designed to show control of stationary cross-flow disturbances through the forced excitation of a sub-dominant disturbance mode generated by the artificial placement of periodically distributed roughness elements. The method provides both the roughness induced naturally occurring and forced control mode disturbance amplitudes for initialisation of a simulation based on solution of the non-linear parabolised stability equations. Monte-Carlo based uncertainty quantification analysis enables propagation of uncertainties from the roughness field through the receptivity phase, to ultimately providing bounds on the predicted transition location.

A scheme for generating boundary layers is described and applied to an infinite swept wing model with wavy surface deformations. Steady laminar mean flow is extracted directly from solutions of the Navier-Stokes system of equations, which is validated against computations of a compressible boundary layer method. Furthermore, the routines capture separated boundary layer profiles, overcoming the constraints of the conventional methods. The stability of crossflow disturbances is investigated using both PSE and LNS methods and the effect of chordwise waviness of variable wavelength, amplitude and phase is considered. Wavy surfaces are found to influence the growth of crossflow disturbances, suggesting that the onset of transition may also be affected by the variations in the surface geometry.

The receptivity of crossflow disturbances on an infinite swept wing is investigated using solutions of the adjoint linearised Navier-Stokes equations. The adjoint based method for predicting the magnitude of stationary disturbances generated by randomly distributed surface roughness is described, with the analysis extended to include both surface curvature and compressible flow effects. Receptivity is predicted for a broad spectrum of spanwise wavenumbers, variable freestream Reynolds numbers and subsonic Mach numbers. Curvature is found to play a significant role in the receptivity calculations, while compressible flow effects are only found to marginally affect the initial size of the crossflow instability. A Monte-Carlo type analysis is undertaken to establish the mean amplitude and variance of crossflow disturbances generated by the randomly distributed surface roughness. Mean amplitudes are determined for a range of flow parameters that are maximised for roughness distributions containing a broad spectrum of roughness wavelengths, including those that are most effective in generating stationary crossflow disturbances. A control mechanism is then developed where the short scale roughness wavelengths are damped, leading to significant reductions in the receptivity amplitude.