Applications of “integral transforms of in-plane coordinate variables” in order to formulate unsteady planar lifting surface theories are demonstrated for both sub- and supersonic inviscid flows. It is concise and pithy. Fourier transforms are exclusively used, except for only Laplace transform in the supersonic streamwise direction. It is found that the streamwise Fourier inversion in the subsonic case requires some caution. Concepts based on the theory of distributions seem to be essential, in order to solve the convergence difficulties of integrals. Apart from this caution, the method of integral transforms of in-plane coordinate variables makes it be pure-mathematical to formulate the lifting surface problems, and makes aerodynamicist’s experiences and physical models such as vortices or doublets be useless.

A linear stability analysis was made for a radial wall jet. A perturbation method against the two-dimensional wall jet was used for the formulation, from which a non-homogeneous Orr-Sommerfeld equation was derived. The computation showed that disturbances are more unstable in the radial wall jet than in the two-dimensional case, which agrees qualitatively with an experimental evidence.

This paper presents a semi-empirical theoretical model for calculating the effect of nose bluntness on the stability derivatives of oscillating slender cones at hypersonic Mach numbers. It is based on a hybrid blast wave analogy/shock-expansion flow model and is used to obtain closed form analytic expressions for the derivatives for oscillating slender cones. Two models based on zero thickness and finite thickness entropy layers are proposed which are seen to be appropriate to the cases of very small and large nose bluntnesses, respectively. The results are compared with new and existing experimental data and with the predictions of previous theoretical methods.

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.

The transition behaviour of the boundary layer which is formed along an infinite swept attachment line has been studied experimentally. Circular trip wires and turbulent flat plate boundary layers have been used as sources of disturbance and the range of parameters covered has been such that the results are directly applicable to full scale flight conditions. Simple criteria have been deduced which allow the state of the boundary layer to be determined for given geometric and free stream properties. Sample calculations for typical swept wing configurations suggest that the majority of civil aircraft will have turbulent attachment lines in the cruise and that subsequent relaminarisation in regions of favourable pressure gradient is unlikely.