Formation of recirculation zones in the boundary layer on a moving surface

Abstract

A study is made of the region of free interaction of a supersonic boundary layer on a moving surface formed by a weak shock wave impinging on it from without. In the equations of motion, allowance is made for the contribution of the pressure induced by the growth in the displacement thickness of jets passing near the surface. The results are given of the numerical solution of the corresponding nonlinear problem, and the basic structure of the recirculation zones is discussed. It is noted that there are regimes in which the main recirculation zone is accompanied by an additional eddy formation with circulation in the opposite direction. In contrast to a boundary layer on a fixed body, the points at which the streamlines separate are not on the wall but within the flow.