Instability of streaky high-supersonic boundary layers over cooled walls

Dongdong Xu; Pierre Ricco; Elena Marensi; Xuesong Wu

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arXiv · 2611.00846

Instability of streaky high-supersonic boundary layers over cooled walls

Dongdong Xu·Pierre Ricco·Elena Marensi·Xuesong Wu

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Abstract

We investigate the instability of streaks induced by free-stream vortical disturbances in cooled-wall high-supersonic boundary layers. Distinct types of instability modes are identified: modified Mack second modes, a newly discovered varicose secondary-instability mode and sinuous or varicose secondary-instability modes akin to those in incompressible boundary layers. Unique characteristics of the new secondary-instability mode are that its eigenfunctions concentrate in high-speed valley regions near the wall and feature intense temperature fluctuations at the wall. The streaks in high-supersonic boundary layers destabilise the three-dimensional secondary-instability modes, but suppress the growth of the modified Mack second modes, both radiating and non-radiating. The suppression of radiating modes amounts to a reduction of the two-dimensional noise they emit. Numerical results indicate that, unlike streaks in adiabatic-wall boundary layers, whose instability concentrates in low-speed peak regions away from the wall, the secondary instability of streaks in cooled-wall high-supersonic boundary layers occurs both in low-speed peak regions and in high-speed valley regions.

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Dongdong Xu, Pierre Ricco, Elena Marensi, Xuesong Wu. 2026-10-31. Instability of streaky high-supersonic boundary layers over cooled walls. https://arxiv.org/abs/2611.00846

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