If the velocity distribution outside the boundary layer were known, the pres-sure distribution at the interface between the boundary layer and the external
fluid could be computed. Provided that the boundary layer is very thin, and
this is the case except where the flow is detached from the surface, the pressure
on the surface of the body can be assumed to be equal to that occurring at
the outer surface of the boundary layer, and then the aerodynamic forces and
moments can be computed by integrating the pressure distribution. While this
can be applied to computing the lift of streamlined objects, for blunt bodies, like
the ones studied by road vehicle aerodynamics, and for drag, few results can be
obtained along these lines.