Flat-plate hypersonic boundary-layer ?ow instability and transition prediction considering air dissociation

The effects of air dissociation on ?at-plate hypersonic boundary-layer ?ow instability and transition prediction are studied. The air dissociation reactions are assumed to be in the chemical equilibrium. Based on the ?at-plate boundary layer, the ?ow stability is analyzed for the Mach numbers from 8 to 15. The results reveal that the consideration of air dissociation leads to a decrease in the unstable region of the ?rst-mode wave and an increase in the maximum growth rate of the second mode. High frequencies appear earlier in the third mode than in the perfect gas model, and the unstable region moves to a lower frequency region. When the Mach number increases, the second-mode wave dominates the transition process, and the third-mode wave has little effect on the transition. Moreover, when the Mach number increases from 8 to 12, the N-factor envelope becomes higher, and the transition is promoted. However, when the Mach number exceeds 12, the N-factor envelope becomes lower, and the transition is delayed. The N-factor envelope decreases gradually with the increase in the altitude or Mach number.