A uniformly valid solution for the hypersonic flow past blunted bodies

Abstract

The plane and axisymmetric hypersonic flow past blunted bodies is investigated as an inverse problem (shock shape given). The fluid may behave as a real gas in local thermodynamic equilibrium. Viscosity and heat conduction are neglected. An analytical solution uniformly valid in the whole flow field (from the stagnation region up to large distances from the body nose) is given. The solution is based on two main assumptions: (i) the density ratio ε across the shock is very small, (ii) the pressure at a pointPof the disturbed flow field isnotvery small compared with the pressure immediately behind the shock in the intersection point of the shock surface with its normal throughP.TermsO(ε) are neglected in comparison with 1, but it is not necessary for the shock layer to be thin. The change of velocity along streamlines is taken into account. In order to calculate the flow quantities one has to evaluate only two integrals (equations (49) and (53) together with the boundary values (5) and (10)). The application of the solution is illustrated and the accuracy is tested in some examples.