Analysis of a transitional shock-wave/boundary-layer interaction with strong separation

What is it about?

In high speed aerodynamics (e.g. supersonic flow), specific shock-wave/boundary-layer interactions (SBLI) can lead to large scale oscillations of the shock wave, which can cause vibrations. The type of SBLI that we analyse can occur for high altitude (low Reynolds number) conditions which leads to a laminar boundary layer interacting with the shock wave, specifically for transonic fans of e.g. business jets / defense applications (which fly higher than commercial aircraft, leading to lower Reynolds numbers) at altitude. This SBLI causes a significant shock oscillation with a specific oscillation mechanism. We analyse the spatial variations of the flow features caused by the shock oscillation mechanism to better understand it. Link to downloadable publication: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/385578386_Highly_separated_transitional_shock-waveboundary-layer_interactions_A_spatial_modal_study

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Photo by Hermeus on Unsplash

Photo by Hermeus on Unsplash

Why is it important?

This work builds on a parallel work by the authors ["Shock Oscillation Mechanism of Highly Separated Transitional Shock-Wave/Boundary-Layer Interactions" (AIAA Journal)] which investigats the dynamics of the oscillation mechanism through techniques which are temporally resolved through Schlieren techniques, but do not offer as much quantitative insights as a Particle Image Velocimetry study with modal analysis to understand spatial coherencies of the flow field, which is the focus of the current work.