Axially Symmetric Stagnation-point Flow of an Electrically Conducting Fluid under Transverse Magnetic Field

This paper deals with the axially symmetric stagnation-point flow of an incompressible, viscous and electrically conducting fluid in the presence of a transverse magnetic field with small magnetic Reynolds numbers. The velocity distribution modified by the magnetic field is calculated for several values of N (= S R m , S : the pressure number, R m : the magnetic Reynolds number). The shear stress on the wall is expressed in terms of b and φ''(0), where b is a characteristic parameter of the asymptotic inviscid flow and φ''(0) is the non-dimensional velocity gradient on the wall. The flow of this type may be considered as a simple model of the circumstance in the neighbourhood of the nose of a body of revolution moving through an ionized atmosphere at hypersonic speed. In this context, it may be convenient to use Bush's results for estimating b . The ratio of the shear stresses with and without the magnetic field thus calculated is shown graphically as a function of N . It is found that the shear stress at the wall is considerably reduced by the hydromagnetic interactions.