Numerical study of the oscillations induced by shock/shock interaction in hypersonic double-wedge flows

Abstract

In this paper, the shock pattern oscillations induced by shock/shock interactions over double-wedge geometries in hypersonic flows were studied numerically by solving 2D inviscid Euler equations for a multi-species system. Laminar viscous effects were considered in some cases. Temperature-dependent thermodynamic properties were employed in the state and energy equations for consideration of the distinct change of the thermodynamic state. It was shown that the oscillation results in high-frequency fluctuations of heating and pressure loads over wedge surfaces. In a case with a relatively lower free-stream Mach number, the shock/shock interaction structure maintains a seven-shock configuration during the entire oscillation process. On the other hand, the oscillation is accompanied by a transition between a six-shock configuration (regular interaction) and a seven-shock configuration (Mach interaction) in a case with a higher free-stream Mach number. Numerical results also indicate that the critical wedge angle for the transition from a steady to an oscillation solution is higher compared to the corresponding value in earlier numerical research in which the perfect diatomic gas model was used.