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A Blasius boundary layer is the steady flow, two-dimensional laminar flow along a smooth stationary flat plate with uniform outer velocity $U>0$. Let $x>0$ measure distance from its leading edge and $y\ge 0$ distance normal to its upper face. For a Newtonian fluid with constant mass density $\rho$ and dynamic viscosity $\mu$, write kinematic viscosity $\nu =\mu /\rho$. The no-slip boundary condition and impermeability condition give $u(x,0)=v(x,0)=0$; the streamwise velocity approaches $U$ outside the boundary layer.

For example, choose $U=10\mathrm{m}{\mathrm{s}}^{-1}$ and $\nu =1.5\times 10^{-5}{\mathrm{m}}^2{\mathrm{s}}^{-1}$. At $x=0.30\mathrm{m}$, the local Reynolds number is ${\mathrm{Re}}_x=Ux/\nu =2.0\times 10^5$ and the boundary layer thickness is about $3.29\mathrm{mm}$. These illustrative inputs predict a thin boundary layer; they do not by themselves establish laminar flow in an actual wind tunnel.

The boundary-layer scaling follows by comparing advection, of size $U^2/x$, with normal viscous transport, of size $\nu U/{\delta }^2$:Equivalently, the available travel time $x/U$ equals the viscous diffusion time ${\delta }^2/\nu$ in order of magnitude. Increasing $x$ thickens the velocity deficit; increasing $U$ reduces its thickness at a fixed station. This boundary-layer scaling requires ${\mathrm{Re}}_x\gg 1$. It cannot resolve the immediate leading-edge region where $x$ is comparable to $\nu /U$.^[ref]

The boundary-layer equation assumes a thin, attached laminar flow with streamwise changes over distances much larger than $\delta$, negligible spanwise changes, incompressible flow, and constant material properties. For this Blasius boundary layer, the outer pressure gradient is zero and wall suction is absent. Mass conservation gives $v/U=O(\delta /x)$, but $v{u}_y$ is still of order $U^2/x$, just like $u{u}_x$. Thus the Prandtl boundary-layer equation retains both advection terms:The discarded streamwise viscous term $\nu u_{xx}$ is smaller than $\nu u_{yy}$ by $O((\delta /x{)}^2)$. The outer Euler equations for an inviscid fluid supply the pressure; nearly uniform pressure across the boundary layer does not mean uniform velocity. Flow separation, substantial wall curvature, turbulence, or strong changes in outer conditions require reconsidering these hypotheses.

Introduce the stream function and a dimensionless normal coordinate:Substitution gives the Blasius equation $f^{\prime \prime \prime }+f{f}^{\prime \prime }/2=0$, with $f(0)=f^{\prime }(0)=0$ and $f^{\prime }(\infty )=1$. Its numerical boundary value problem gives $f^{\prime \prime }(0)\simeq 0.332057$. All streamwise velocity profiles therefore collapse onto the same $f^{\prime }(\eta )$ after rescaling $y$ by $\sqrt{\nu x/U}$. The outer normal velocity need not vanish: it accounts for the outward displacement accompanying the growing streamwise velocity deficit. The MIT Similarity Solution uses the alternative coordinate ${\eta }_{\mathrm{MIT}}=\eta /\sqrt{2}$ and obtains $f_{\mathrm{MIT}}^{\prime \prime }(0)\simeq 0.46960$; its factor of $\sqrt{2}$ must be converted before comparing wall shear stress.

The historical Motion of fluids with very little viscosity by L. Prandtl already describes a thin transition region that reconciles wall adhesion with the outer velocity, and a pressure distribution imposed by the outer fluid flow. Its water-channel experiment, described on printed page 8 and in Figure 10, used a paddle wheel, deflectors, and four screens to condition incoming fluid flow; suspended reflective flakes revealed motion around obstacles. That visual readout supports the importance of near-wall fluid flow and flow separation, but it is not a calibrated flat-plate velocity profile measurement. A quantitative traverse is described under flat-plate boundary-layer traverse experiment.

For a steady incompressible viscous boundary layer over a flat plate with constant outer speed $U$, the stream function $\psi =\sqrt{\nu Ux}f(y\sqrt{U/(\nu x)})$ reduces the Prandtl boundary-layer equation to the displayed ordinary differential equation. The wall and outer conditions are $f(0)=f^{\prime }(0)=0$ and $f^{\prime }(\infty )=1$. The wall shear is $\rho U\sqrt{\nu U/x}{f}^{\prime \prime }(0)$, so its integral on one plate face of length $L$ is $2\rho U^{2}L{f}^{\prime \prime }(0)/\sqrt{UL/\nu }$. Both equally exposed faces contribute twice this value.

For indentation $F=b{x}^{1/3}$, the common layer displacement is $H=b{x}^{1/3}/2$. The boundary layer stream function $\psi =x^{2/3}G(z{x}^{-1/3})$ gives velocity $U=x^{1/3}{G}^{\prime }$ and pressure $P=\bar{p}{x}^{2/3}$. Substitution into the Prandtl boundary-layer equation yields the displayed equation, with $G(0)=G^{\prime }(0)=0$ and $G^{\prime }\sim 6\eta +3b$. This is a conditional similarity construction: the constant $\bar{p}$ must permit a solution of the boundary value problem.

Use the pressure scale $\rho {\hat{U}}^2$, and denote the scaled transverse velocity by $v$. The steady incompressible flow equations under the prescribed coordinate scaling areThe no-slip boundary condition is $u=v=0$ at $y=1$ and at the lower wall $y=ϵF(x)$, taking $F=0$ upstream. Far upstream, $u\to U_0=6y(1-y)$, $v\to 0$, and $p_x\to -12\lambda /R$. These are the dimensional Navier-Stokes equations divided by the streamwise and transverse inertial scales, respectively; the transverse equation's ${\lambda }^{-2}$ is essential.

A consistent nonlinear wall-layer regime can be chosen asNear a wall the oncoming plane Poiseuille flow is linear in distance, so a layer of thickness $ϵ$ has $u=O(ϵ)$ and $v=O({ϵ}^2)$. Its inertia is $O({ϵ}^2)$; its transverse viscous term is $(\lambda /R)O({ϵ}^{-1})=O({ϵ}^2)$, explaining the distinguished balance. The resulting pressure perturbation is $O({ϵ}^2)$. In the core the induced transverse pressure variation is $O(ϵ/{\lambda }^2)$, negligible compared with that pressure perturbation when ${\lambda }^2ϵ\gg 1$, equivalently $\lambda \gg R^{1/7}$. Also $\lambda \ll R$ makes both the indentation and the viscous boundary layer thin. Streamwise viscous derivatives are smaller still. Thus the core perturbation is inviscid at first order and pressure is common to the two wall layers at their leading order.

Write $u=U_0+ϵu_1+\cdots$ and $v=ϵv_1+\cdots$. The core pressure gradient only enters at order ${ϵ}^2$, so first-order continuity equation and streamwise momentum giveEliminating $u_{1x}$ shows $(v_1/U_0{)}_y=0$. Let that ratio be $-A^{\prime }(x)$; integration in $x$, with the unperturbed upstream condition, then givesThis displacement form automatically has zero first-order change in total core flux, because ${\int }_0^1{U}_0^{\prime }dy=0$.

For the lower boundary layer, usewhere $p_0^{\prime }=-12{ϵ}^3$ is the smaller upstream pressure gradient. The extra term in $v$ removes the velocity induced by the moving coordinate surface. The chain rule gives ${\partial }_x{|}_y={\partial }_x{|}_z-F^{\prime }{\partial }_z$ and ${\partial }_y={ϵ}^{-1}{\partial }_z$; the wall-slope terms cancel from both continuity equation and convection. At leading order the Prandtl boundary-layer equation isMatching to the core near the lower wall gives $U\sim 6[z+F+A]$, so $H_{\mathrm{lower}}=F+A$.

For the upper boundary layer, set $y=1-ϵz$, $u=ϵU$, $v=-{ϵ}^{2}V$. The same equations, wall data and common $P(x)$ result, but the core matching gives $U\sim 6[z-A]$, so $H_{\mathrm{upper}}=-A$. The two pressure-driven wall-layer problems have the same upstream shear, wall conditions and pressure forcing. Under the question's uniqueness assumption their solutions coincide, and their displacement limits must coincide. Thus the symmetric viscous interaction in an indented Poiseuille channel gives

For $F=b{x}^{1/3}$, one has $A=-(b/2)x^{1/3}$ and $H=(b/2)x^{1/3}$. Matching $U\sim 6[z+H(x)]$ in a similarity solution $U=x^{\beta }{G}^{\prime }(z{x}^{-\gamma })$ requires $\beta =\gamma =1/3$. Equating the powers in convection $x^{2\beta -1}$, viscosity $x^{\beta -2\gamma }$ and pressure gradient $x^{\sigma -1}$ gives $\sigma =2/3$. HenceUse the stream function $\psi =x^{2/3}G(\eta )$, with $\eta =z{x}^{-1/3}$. ThenDirect differentiation gives $U{U}_x+V{U}_z=x^{-1/3}[(G^{\prime }{)}^2/3-2G{G}^{\prime \prime }/3]$, whereas $-P^{\prime }+U_{zz}=x^{-1/3}[-2\bar{p}/3+G^{\prime \prime \prime }]$. The one-third-power similarity of an indented channel boundary layer is therefore governed byThe original PDF has $(G^{\prime }{)}^2$ in this equation; the converted TeX loses the derivative and gives $G^2$. Existence remains conditional on a value of $\bar{p}$ for which this boundary value problem has a solution, as stipulated in the question. The similarity describes the stated thin-indentation regime on $x>0$.

Choose $x$ tangential to the solid boundary and locally along the outer inviscid streamlines, and let $y$ be the inward normal coordinate. Write $u$ and $v$ for the corresponding tangential and normal velocity field components, $U(x)$ for the outer tangential velocity, and $\nu$ for the kinematic viscosity.

For a layer of streamwise scale $L$ and thickness $\delta \ll L$, incompressible flow givesso $u=O(U)$ and $v=O(U\delta /L)$. The normal Navier-Stokes equation then gives $p_y=0$ to leading order, while the outer Euler equations giveIn the tangential Navier-Stokes equation, streamwise viscous diffusion is smaller than normal diffusion by $O((\delta /L{)}^2)$. Retaining the leading inertial and normal-diffusion terms produces the Prandtl boundary-layer equationIt is supplemented by $u=v=0$ at a stationary wall and $u\to U(x)$ on matching to the outer flow.

The Prandtl limit observes a high-Reynolds number flow within a shrinking wall-normal layer. For streamwise distance $x$ and outer speed $U$, rescale the normal distance by $\delta =\sqrt{\nu x/U}$ and the normal velocity by $U\delta /x$. Convection and normal viscous diffusion then remain comparable, while streamwise viscous diffusion is smaller. The leading normal momentum equation makes pressure independent of the rescaled normal coordinate, and the tangential equation is the Prandtl boundary-layer equation. This laminar asymptotic balance is local and need not remain valid through separation or instability.

Near a radial wall, let $x$ measure distance from the sink along the wall and $y$ point into the fluid. Withthe Prandtl boundary-layer equation reduces toOne physical solution has

The unsteady form of the Prandtl boundary-layer equation evolves the tangential boundary-layer velocity under advection, outer pressure forcing and normal viscous diffusion. Incompressibility supplies the normal velocity. A stationary wall imposes the no-slip boundary condition, and tangential velocity matches the prescribed outer slip velocity far from the wall. The normal far-field disturbance need not vanish.