Micro-ramps are popular passive flow control devices which can delay flow separation by re-energising the lower portion of the boundary layer. We compute the laminar base flow, the instantaneous transitional flow, and the mean flow around a micro-ramp immersed in a quasi-incompressible boundary layer at supercritical roughness Reynolds number. Results of our Direct Numerical Simulations (DNS) are compared with results of BiLocal stability analysis on the DNS base flow and independent tomographic Particle Image Velocimetry (tomo-PIV) experiments. We analyse relevant flow structures developing in the micro-ramp wake and assess their role in the micro-ramp functionality, i.e., in increasing the near-wall momentum. The main flow feature of the base flow is a pair of streamwise counter-rotating vortices induced by the micro-ramp, the so-called primary vortex pair. In the instantaneous transitional flow, the primary vortex pair breaks up into large-scale hairpin vortices, which arise due to linear varicose instability of the base flow, and unsteady secondary vortices develop. Instantaneous vortical structures obtained by DNS and experiments are in good agreement. Matching linear disturbance growth rates from DNS and linear stability analysis are obtained until eight micro-ramp heights downstream of the micro-ramp. For the setup considered in this article, we show that the working principle of the micro-ramp is different from that of classical vortex generators; we find that transitional perturbations are more efficient in increasing the near-wall momentum in the mean flow than the laminar primary vortices in the base flow.

The disturbance generated by roughness elements in a hypersonic laminar boundary layer is investigated, with attention to its three-dimensional properties. The transition of the boundary layer is inspected with tomographic particle image velocimetry that is applied for the first time at Mach 7.5 inside a short duration hypersonic wind tunnel. A low aspect ratio cylindrical roughness element is installed on a flat plate, and experiments are conducted downstream of the element describing the mean velocity field and the turbulent fluctuations. Details of the experimental procedure needed to realize these measurements are discussed, along with the fluid dynamic behaviour of the perturbed hypersonic boundary layer

Transitional flow over isolated roughness elements is investigated in the incompressible flow regime using Tomographic PIV. Three different geometries are considered (micro-ramp, cylinder and square) with same height and span. Their effect on accelerating boundary layer transition is compared and discussed. The measurement domain encompasses the full transition process and the flow development until the turbulent regime is established. The mean flow topology reveals a single pair of streamwise vortices for the micro-ramp as opposed to the additional pair associated to the horseshoe vortex around cylindrical and square elements. The statistical analysis of velocity fluctuations indicates a transition process induced from the point where the streamwise vortices induce an inflexional velocity profile. The cascade progresses downstream with a localized fluctuations increase at the turbulent-non-turbulent interface. The instantaneous flow topology contributes in explaining the transition mechanism, which appears to be dominated by hairpin-like vortices concentrating at the laminar-turbulent interface.