Effect of bluntness on transition for a cone and a hollow cylinder at Mach 3.1

Bluntness was more effective in displacing transition downstream on a cylinder than on a cone. The downstream displacement of transition is related to the formation of a shock layer within which the Reynolds and Mach numbers are reduced and to pressure gradients that exist over the forward part of the model. Round bluntness in general had a favorable effect, whereas sharp-cornered flat bluntness above a certain size had unfavorable effects on the location of the transition point.