Shock wave diffraction on multi-facetted and curved walls

Abstract

The two-dimensional diffraction of a shock wave over a wall made up of a series of plane and/or curved sections is considered. The analysis is based on the theory presented by, for the interaction of an originally plane shock wave with a corner. A method is presented by which the shock profile may be determined for a wall of any shape and for any incident Mach number, in regions where the characteristics form a simple wave. Comparisons are made between experimental measurements and theoretical predictions for convex walls consisting of a number of facets, and for circular arcs, for a range of incident shock wave Mach numbers. It is shown that the theory gives a satisfactory prediction of the wave shape, which improves as the Mach number increases. Modifications in the flow field behind the shock, compared to that for a simple corner made up of two plane walls is discussed, particularly relating to flow separation. For circular arc concave walls a inverse Mach reflection results experimentally, leading to regular reflection, for which the theory is of no use.