Mach number effects on conical surface features of swept shock boundary-layer interactions

Abstract

A joint experimental and computational study is made of the shock-wave turbulent boundary-layer interaction generated by sharp fins, with emphasis on Mach-number effects. The Mach number range is from 2 to 4 and the unit Reynolds number is from 50 to 80 million per meter. Fin angles are varied from 4 to 22 deg. Surface-flow patterns are obtained using a color surface-flow-visualization technique. The results show that the upstream-influence response in the conical far-field region is a function of the freestream Mach number and the shock strength. A new interpretation of the behavior of the upstream influence with changes of the inviscid shock angle is given. Agreement between the experimental and the computed upstream-influence lines becomes poorer for stronger interactions, with the computations underpredicting the upstream-influence line.