The spatial distribution of the mean velocity in a two-dimensional turbulent wall jet was measured for a variety of nozzle Reynolds numbers. It was determined that the bulk of the flow is self-similar and it depends on the momentum flux at the nozzle and on the viscosity and density of the fluid. The width of the nozzle which was commonly used to reduce these data has no part in the similarity considerations as has already been suggested by Narasimha et al. (1973). This type of self-similarity can be easily applied to determine the skin friction, which can otherwise only be determined with considerable difficulty. It was also shown that the ‘law of the wall’ applies only to the viscous sublayer. The Reynolds stress in the inviscid, inner portion of the flow is not constant thus the assumption of a ‘constant stress layer’ is not applicable. The applicability and universality of the ‘outer scaling law’ (i.e. Coles’ law of the wake) has been verified throughout the inviscid inner portion of the wall jet. The logarithmic velocity distribution cannot be derived by making the usual assumptions based on the constancy of the Reynolds stresses or on the thinness of the logarithmic region relative to the thickness of the inner layer.

The evolution of a turbulent spot in an accelerating laminar boundary-layer flow was investigated. The type of boundary layer chosen for this experiment resembles in every respect the flow in the vicinity of a stagnation point theoretically described by Falkner and Skan. The rate of growth of the spot was significantly inhibited by the favourable pressure gradient in all three directions. It became much shorter and narrower in comparison with a similar spot generated in a Blasius boundary layer at comparable distances from its origin and comparable Reynolds numbers. The celerities of its boundaries did not scale with the local free-stream velocity as they do in the absence of a pressure gradient. Dimensional analysis was used to identify and correlate the independent variables determining the size, the convection speed, and the relative rate of growth of this spotThe familiar arrowhead shape of the spot gave way to a rounded triangular shape with the trailing interface being straight and perpendicular to the direction of streaming. The familiar Tollmien-Schlichting wave packet was not observed in this pressure gradient because the surrounding boundary layer was very stable at the Re considered. Since the arrowhead shape of the spot is associated with the breakdown of the waves within the packet it cannot occur below the critical Re. The relative size of the ‘calmed region’ following the spot also diminished; however, one could only speculate as to the origin of this region.

The evolution of two oblique wave packets trailing, a transitional spot in a laminar boundary layer was investigated in order to determine the extent of the interaction between the packets and the spot. The experimental investigation, carried out on two slightly different laminar boundary layers characterized by Falkner-Skan constants of β = 0 and β = 0.2, revealed that very small pressure gradients can have significant effects on the stability of the laminar boundary layer and the rate at which it is contaminated by a turbulent spot. Some simple, novel statistical procedures for treating the data were developed and were used to accentuate the understanding of the physical processes governing transition to turbulence.

The effects of external two-dimensional excitation on the plane turbulent wall jet were investigated experimentally and theoretically. Measurements of the streamwise component of velocity were made throughout the flow field for a variety of imposed frequencies and amplitudes. The present data were always compared to the results generated in the absence of external excitation. Two methods of forcing were used: one global, imposed on the entire jet by pressure fluctuations in the settling chamber and one local, imposed on the shear layer by a small flap attached to the outer nozzle lip. The fully developed wall jet was shown to be insensitive to the method of excitation. Furthermore, external excitation has no appreciable effect on the rate of spread of the jet nor on the decay of its maximum velocity. In fact the mean velocity distribution did not appear to be altered by the external excitation in any obvious manner. The flow near the surface, however, (i.e. for 0 < Y+ < 100) was profoundly different from the unforced flow, indicating a reduction in wall stress exceeding at times 30%. The production of turbulent energy near the surface was also reduced, lowering the intensities of the velocity fluctuations. External excitation enhanced the two-dimensionality and the periodicity of the coherent motion. Spectral analysis and flow visualization suggested that the large coherent structures in this flow might be identified with the most-amplified primary instability modes of the mean velocity profile. Detailed stability analysis confirmed this proposition though not at the same level of accuracy as it did in many free shear flows.