Irregular reflection of a strong shock wave from a thin wedge

Abstract

The problem of irregular reflection of a strong shock wave from a rigid wall has been studied [1–3] mainly within the framework of the linear theory. It has been found that near the front of a shock wave there exist a region of large gradients of gasdynamic parameters in which the linear theory is no longer valid [4]. In the present paper we consider the nonlinear problem of Mach reflection when there is interaction between a shock wave of high intensity and a thin wedge. The solution of the problem is constructed on the assumption that the ratio of densities along the front of the impinging shock wave is small [5, 6].