WAVE INSTABILITY CHARACTERISTICS FOR THE ENTIRE REGIME OF MIXED CONVECTION FLOW ALONG VERTICAL FLAT PLATES

Wave instability of mixed convection flow along an isothermal vertical flat plate is analyzed by the linear theory for the entire mixed convection regime for fluids with Prandtl number of 0. 7 and 7. In the analysis, the domain beyond the mainflow boundary layer edge is solved analytically to provide boundary conditions at eta equals eta // infinity instead of those at eta equals infinity . This treatment is important in the use of the modified Thomas transformation when lambda ( lambda equals Re//x**1**/**2 plus Gr//x**1**/**4) is small. Dual solutions of critical lambda * values are seen to exist in the range of 0 less than equivalent to chi less than equivalent to 0. 5. The results show that the two limiting neutral stability curves, one for the Blasius flow and the other for the pure free convection flow correspond to two different modes.