Near critical phenomena in laminar boundary layers

Asymptotic analysis of boundary layer separation in the limit of large Reynolds number Re → ∞ has shown that in a number of cases which are of importance from a practical point of view solutions of the resulting interaction equations describing two-dimensional (2-D) steady flows exist up to a limiting value Γ c of the relevant controlling parameter Γ only while two branches of solutions exist in a regime Γ < Γ c . The present study aims at a better understanding of near critical flows | Γ - Γ c | → 0 and in particular the changes of the flow behaviour associated with the passage of Γ through Γ c .