NONEQUILIBRIUM FLOW OVER A CONE

Abstract

The modifications in the flow over a cone are considered due to departure from thermodynamic equilibrium behind the shock wave. Only the effects due to vibrational relaxation are considered. The flow was calculated using the method of characteristics. The numerical technique that was successful for the cone flow involved a slight modification of the standard method. As for the case of wedge flow, there is a curved shock, a relaxation layer at the shock, and an entropy layer at the cone surface. For the cone case, the thickness of the entropy layer must vanish sufficiently far downstream from the tip. The pressure on the cone surface shows an overexpansion.