Published online by Cambridge University Press: 07 June 2016
Some velocity profile and skin friction measurements for turbulent boundary layers at subsonic and supersonic speeds are reviewed to derive the magnitude of the wake component and the effects of its variation with Reynolds number on predictions of skin friction. As Reynolds number increases the wake component increases rapidly, reaches a maximum and then decreases. The measurements considered suggest that this maximum may be higher at supersonic speeds than at subsonic speeds. This wake component variation has a significant influence on predictions of skin friction in the Reynolds number range of interest on wind tunnel models.