The properties of equilibrium turbulent boundary layers have been examined using Thompson’s family of velocity profiles along with alternative π – G relationships. The relationship which is in best agreement with measurements of equilibrium layers confirms an earlier suggestion that (νT/Uδ*)max is not a universal constant for such layers but decreases for small and negative values of π. A close relationship is established between eddy viscosity and entrainment, and it is shown that veδ/νT is effectively constant for π > 2.

The time mean flow past a two-dimensional bluff body in a wind-tunnel is modelled by an adaptation of the numerical free-streamline method of Bearman and Fackrell. Provided the base pressure and separation positions are specified in advance, the method allows the calculation of the flow field outside the wake and in particular of the pressures on the wetted surface of the body. Good agreement of the predicted pressures with experimental results is obtained for a flat plate, wedge and circular cylinder at various blockage ratios. In addition to predicting the confined flow, it is shown that a free-air base pressure can be simply deduced from the confined base pressure. With an assumption that the separation positions are unaffected by blockage, this allows the free-air flow field to be calculated. By using an analogy to Roshko’s Strouhal number, which has been found to be invariant under constraint, a free-air Strouhal number can also be deduced.

A theoretical and experimental study is made of the stresses and strains around circular holes in plates reinforced with carbon fibre filament-wound discs. An analytical solution is given for infinite isotropic plates subjected to uniform tension, but for orthotropic carbon fibre plates the finite-element displacement method of analysis is used. The filament-wound discs are found to be efficient in reducing the stresses around the holes with the principal stresses being taken, in the main, by the strong fibres. There is reasonable agreement with the experimental results for the uniform tension cases, but results from tests on bolt-loaded holes do not correlate as well with theory.

The velocity defect in the wake and its curvature lead to a pressure jump across it. As a result the pressure distribution on the aerofoil and the lift are modified.

This paper gives details of theoretical and experimental investigations into the behaviour of simply-supported uniformly compressed square and rectangular plates with central circular holes. The theoretical analysis employs an approximate approach using a combination of Rayleigh-Ritz and finite-element methods. The experimental investigation consisted of a number of experiments on plates with hole diameters from one- to seven-tenths of the plate width. Agreement between experiment and theory is shown to be good at buckling. In the post-buckling range it is found that the theoretical analysis is reasonably accurate for small holes, but loses accuracy when dealing with large holes.

An exact analytic solution is presented for axisymmetric compressible swirling flow in an annular passage. The solution is given in terms of simple expressions for the streamline shapes. The results can be used to describe an irrotational flow as well as a class of rotational flows in annular passages, such as might be encountered in turbomachinery components. The solution could be applied as a test case for numerical computations of flows in turbomachines.

The “reference enthalpy” and local flat plate concepts are used to derive some simple expressions for the turbulent heat transfer rate distribution over an arbitrary body at supersonic and hypersonic speeds. The connection between pressure and heat transfer rate is established and tested against a number of experimental data.