Boundary Layer Development and Transition in Airfoils and Flat Plates. A Comparative Study

Resumen

Accurate prediction of the laminar-to-turbulent transition remains one of the most significant challenges in flow simulations using turbulence models. This work focuses on the analysis of currently available transition models and their main limitations, particularly in flat plate and airfoil configurations. Boundary layer transition strongly influences the distribution of skin friction coefficient on flat plates, as well as pressure and lift coefficients on airfoils, playing a key role in predicting drag, losses, and aerodynamic efficiency. Various modeling approaches are reviewed, including correlation-based methods and modified versions of the k–omega SST model tailored to capture transition mechanisms. Despite their progress, many of these models show limitations when dealing with non-ideal boundary conditions, adverse pressure gradients, or varying levels of incoming turbulence. This study presents a numerical evaluation of transition models applied to flat plate flows, comparing the resulting skin friction distributions with experimental correlations. The work is then extended to airfoil simulations, analyzing the behavior of pressure and lift coefficients and their sensitivity to transition location and flow separation. This allows for the visualization of boundary layer development and the impact of early or delayed transition on surface pressure distribution.The results indicate that while current models offer reasonable approximations under specific conditions, their generalization capability is still limited. It is concluded that further improvement is needed in the physical representation of transition mechanisms, along with more robust calibration under varied conditions, particularly for aerodynamic engineering applications.