Aerodynamics Characteristic of Axisymmetric Surface Protuberance in Supersonic Regime

Abstract

The present work deals with the problem of an axi-symmetric surface protuberance mounted on a spherical nosed body of revolution. The numerical computations are carried out for laminar supersonic viscous flow for trapezoidal shape axi-symmetric protuberances. A free stream Mach number ranging from 3 to 8 in steps of 1 at a fixed free stream Reynolds number of 1.8×104 has been used in the present study. The steady solutions are obtained using a time marching approach. A newly developed Particle Velocity Upwinding (PVU) scheme has been used for the computation. The spatial flow pattern exhibits a strong bow shock in front of the hemispherical nose, which engulfs the entire base body. Near the protuberance, the fluid particle decelerates due to the adverse pressure created by the protuberance and thus the flow separates in front of the protuberance. This point of separation is found to be a function of Mach number and the protuberance shape. A low-pressure expansion region dominates the base region of the obstacle. The reattachment point for the base separation is also a function of Mach number. As the Mach number is increased the reattachment point shifts toward the protuberances base. A weak recompression shock is also seen in the base, which affects the separated zone behind the protuberance. The important design parameters such as skin friction, heat transfer, drag, and surface pressure coefficients are reported extensively.