Tollmien-Schlichting-wave resonant mechanism for subharmonic-type transition

Disturbance interactions in wave triads and multiwave systems of various configurations are investigated to reveal the mechanism of laminar-turbulent transition in Blasius and pressure-gradient boundary layers. The averaging method of weakly nonlinear instability theory in quasi-parallel flows is applied. Tollmien-Schlichting-wave resonant interaction is shown to be the only leading mechanism of subharmonic (S)-type transition. The mechanism universally dominates in boundary layers excited by sufficiently small initial disturbances. The role of any other mode is inefficient. Weakly nonlinear models are concluded not to explain the K-type transition scenario. The results of the study are employed to interpret physical and numerical experimental data.