Coherent small-amplitude unsteadiness of the shock wave and the separation region over a canonical double cone flow, termed in literature as oscillation-type unsteadiness, is experimentally studied at Mach 6. The double cone model is defined by three non-dimensional geometric parameters: fore- and aft-cone angles (
$\theta _1$
and
$\theta _2$
), and ratio of the conical slant lengths (
$\varLambda$
). Previous studies of oscillations have been qualitative in nature, and mostly restricted to a special case of the cone model with fixed
$\theta _1 = 0^\circ$
and
$\theta _2 = 90^\circ$
(referred to as the spike-cylinder model), where
$\varLambda$
becomes the sole governing parameter. In the present effort we investigate the self-sustained flow oscillations in the
$\theta _1$
-
$\varLambda$
parameter space for fixed
$\theta _2 = 90^\circ$
using high-speed schlieren visualisation. The experiments reveal two distinct subtypes of oscillations, characterised by the motion (or lack thereof) of the separation point on the fore-cone surface. The global time scale associated with flow oscillation is extracted using spectral proper orthogonal decomposition. The non-dimensional frequency (Strouhal number) of oscillation is seen to exhibit distinct scaling for the two oscillation subtypes. The relationship observed between the local flow properties, instability of the shear layer, and geometric constraints on the flow suggests that an aeroacoustic feedback mechanism sustains the oscillations. Based on this understanding, a simple model with no empiricism is developed for the Strouhal number. The model predictions are found to match well with experimental measurements. The model provides helpful physical insight into the nature of the self-sustained flow oscillations over a double cone at high speeds.
