Three-dimensional effects of supersonic cavity flow due to the variation of cavity aspect and width ratios

Abstract

Unlike the steady closed-type supersonic cavity flow, open-type cavity flow is divided into internal and external flows by turbulent shear layer. The cavity flow may cause resonance phenomena due to pressure oscillation, depending on the cavity geometry and the flow conditions. These phenomena may induce noise generation, structural damage, and aerodynamic instability. In this research, the flow characteristics of three-dimensional supersonic cavity flow of Mach number 1.5 were analyzed with the variations of aspect ratio and width ratio. Three-dimensional unsteady compressible Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations were used with a turbulence model. For numerical calculations, the 4th-order Runge-Kutta method and the FVS method with van Leer’s flux limiter were applied. The numerical calculations were performed by using a parallel processing program with 16 CPUs. The sound pressure level (SPL) spectra of pressure variations were analyzed at the point of cavity leading edge. The correlation of pressure distribution (CPD) was also analyzed for the propagation of dominant oscillation pressure waves with respect to the reference point of the cavity leading edge. The dominant oscillation frequency was compared with the oscillation modes of Rossiter’s formula. Oscillation Mode 2 appeared as a dominant oscillation frequency regardless of the aspect ratio of cavity in the two-dimensional flow. Oscillation Modes1 and 2 appeared in three-dimensional cavities of small aspect ratios. However, as the aspect or the width ratio increases, only the mode 2 or 3 frequency appeared as a dominant oscillation frequency.