A new solution of the boundary layer equation and its application

Solutions of the boundary layer equation for an unsteady flow have previously been obtained for only a few boundary conditions such as those which exist in suddenly accelerated or uniformly accelerating flows. In the paper a general solution using the method of successive approximations for an arbitrarily accelerating flow is presented. The solution, which is expressed in an integral form including the acceleration as a chosen function of time, is valid for both two-dimensional and axially symmetrical flows. An example is presented in which the variation of velocity outside of the boundary layer is a fourth degree polynomial in time multiplied by a function depending on shape of object.