The Navier-Stokes solution for laminar flow past a semi-infinite flat plate

SummaryA numerical solution joining Carrier and Lin's solution near the leading edge to the boundary layer solution at large distance of the leading edge is presented. The solution is valid for any Reynolds number. Results are given for the skin friction, the integrated skin friction, the displacement thickness, the pressure along the plate and the velocity ahead of the plate. The asymptotic value of the integrated skin friction agrees very well with the exact value. The displacement thickness is already different from zero for small distances ahead of the plate.