Flip-flop jet nozzle extended to supersonic flows

Abstract

An experiment studying a fluidically oscillated rectangular jet flow was conducted. The Mach number was varied over a range from low subsonic to supersonic. Unsteady velocity and pressure measurements were made using hot wires, piezoresistive pressure transducers, and pitot probes. In addition, smoke flow visualization using high-speed photography was used to document the oscillation of the jet. For the subsonic flip-flop jet, it was found that the apparent time-mean widening of the jet was not accompanied by an increase in the mass flux. Fluidically oscillated jets up to a Mach number of about 0.5 have been reported before, but to our knowledge there is no information on fluidically oscillated supersonic jets. It was found that it is possible to extend the operation of these devices to supersonic flows. The streamwise velocity perturbation levels produced by this device were much higher than the perturbation levels that could be produced using conventional excitation sources such as acoustic drivers. In view of this ability to produce high amplitudes, the potential for using a small-scale fluidically oscillated jet as an unsteady excitation source for the control of shear flows in full-scale practical applications seems promising.