A Flat Plate Study of the Binary Scaling of Viscous Hypersonic Flow.

The interaction between the inviscid field and the large viscous boundary layer characteristic of hypersonic flow is analyzed from the continuum viewpoint. A variety of similarity parameters are derived to represent the viscous flow over slender bodies. The similitude is described by a binary collision scaling parameter, so that it is possible to apply a binary scaling that transforms density and length in inverse proportion at a fixed velocity and temperature. Experiments at a Mach number near 13 on a thermally controlled copper sharp plate were conducted to examine the wall temperature effects. Because of the wide range of test conditions covered in the experiments, the results provide some insight into viscous similarity when molecular effects begin to appear at the leading edge.