Bypass transition under wall cooling over a flat plate with an elliptical leading edge

Abstract

This study uses wall-resolved large-eddy simulations to investigate bypass transition in a flat-plate boundary layer subjected to free-stream turbulence. Two thermal configurations are considered: an adiabatic wall and a uniformly cooled wall. The plate geometry includes an elliptic leading edge and is designed for direct experimental reproduction, providing a framework for future numerical-experimental comparisons. The resolved leading edge allows direct examination of the early stages of bypass transition. Both simulations recover the classical sequence of receptivity, vortex tilting, lift-up, streak amplification, secondary instability and turbulent-spot growth. The wall-normal transport term is identified as a precursor of streak formation, while shear sheltering is quantified and linked to the frequency-dependent penetration of free-stream disturbances into the boundary layer. Wall cooling does not modify the bypass-transition mechanisms nor the onset location of transition. Instead, it generates thermal streaks alongside the velocity streaks and shifts the latter slightly closer to the wall, consistent with optimal-perturbation predictions. The velocity streaks retain similar amplitudes, growth rates and spanwise spacings in both thermal conditions. A conditional analysis reveals a pronounced asymmetry between high- and low-velocity streaks. Although breakdown is systematically observed within low-velocity streaks, the strongest pre-transitional evolution occurs within the high-velocity streak population, which undergoes significant amplification and a progressive displacement towards the wall before the onset of intermittency. These observations suggest that high-velocity streaks may actively contribute to the reorganisation of the streak field leading to secondary instability and breakdown.