Numerical Simulation of the Interaction between a Shock and the Boundary Layer on a Flat Plate in Motion

Abstract

The results of numerical simulation of the interaction between a shock and the laminar boundary layer on a flat plate in motion in supersonic perfect-gas flow at Mach number М∞ = 3 are considered. The shock is preassigned using the Rankine—Hugoniot boundary conditions, which corresponds to a shock wave produced by a wedge with a given semi-vertex angle in an inviscid gas flow. The simulation is based on the numerical solution of the time-dependent, two-dimensional Navier—Stokes equations by time marching to steady state. The numerical results are verified by means of comparing the results for separation flow past a flat plate at rest with experimental data. The numerical data are used to investigate the effect of the plate velocity of the separation flow structure and the basic laws governing the problem. It is shown that the motion of the plate downstream diminishes the separation zone length, whereas the opposite motion leads to its increase.