Nonequilibrium flow over delta wings with detached shock waves

Abstract

An analysis is made of the effect of streamwise density changes, due to chemical reactions, on the flow in the shock layer of a medium- to low-aspect-ratio delta wing at angles of incidence such that the shock wave is detached from the leading edges. It is shown that the flow retains the essentially conical character that is associated with the absence of density changes. Near the midspan of the wing, the density changes displace the shock wave toward the wing surface but do not alter the shock shape. The displacement effect predicted by the analysis is confirmed by experiments in a high-enthalpy shock tunnel.