Interaction of compliant surfaces with transitional and turbulent boundary layers

The interaction of plastisol gel coatings of different thicknesses and shear moduli with transitional and turbulent boundary layers was investigated over a range of velocities. Whenever the free-stream velocity within the fluid was comparable to the transverse wave speed within the solid, large-amplitude static-divergence waves appeared on the surface of the solid. The amplitude of the waves was always of the order of the coating thickness. As the free-stream velocity increased, the waves became less two-dimensional and developed larger variations in their amplitude along the crests. This disturbance led to the formation of additional waves downstream having a shorter span. Ways of reducing or eliminating the static-divergence waves are briefly discussed.