A series solution of the Falkner-Skan equation using the crocco-wang transformation

Asai Asaithambi, University of North Florida

Abstract

A direct series solution for the Falkner-Skan equation is obtained by first transforming the problem using the Crocco-Wang transformation. The transformation converts the third-order problem to a second-order two-point boundary value problem. The method first constructs a series involving the unknown skin-friction coefficient α. Then, α is determined by using the secant method or Newton's method. The derivative needed for Newton's method is also computed using a series derived from the transformed differential equation. The method is validated by solving the Falkner-Skan equation for several cases reported previously in the literature.