Conical flow breakdown in non-free shock-wave/boundary-layer interaction

Abstract

The non-free interaction between a shock wave and the boundary layer on a swept plate set at incidence in the undisturbed flow is studied using different experimental methods including special laser techniques for visualizing supersonic conical gas flows. It is shown that under shock-layer conditions the non-free interaction can lead to conical flow breakdown before the incident shock reaches the leading edge of the plate.