Boundary Layer Profile

The properties of water at 16^oC are,

     ρ = 999 kg/m³
     μ = 1.12 × 10^-3 N-s/m²

When water flows past an infinite flat plate, the critical Reynolds number is 5 ×10⁵. That is,

Hence, it is found that the boundary layer turns from laminar to turbulent at a critical distance of 56.1 mm.

The laminar profile of the boundary layer is given by Blasius' solution, which is

The boundary layer thickness at a distance x from the flat plate leading edge is summarized in the table and plotted in the figure shown on the left.