An experimental study of supersonic flow over a rearward facing step.

Abstract

Some of the results of an experimental investigation of the flow pressure structures of a supersonic flow over a rearward facing step are presented. Included are some of the data of that part of the investigation being conducted at the Technion of Haifa, Israel. The results presented in this paper show that the pressure changes from freestream pressure to base pressure are linear functions of freestream pressure for each Mach speed and step height; the corner pressure expansion fan is not the linear Prandtl-Meyer fan; the separation (lip-shock) shock emerging from the separated shear layer may not be neglected in such flows; base pressures influence the flow upstream of the corner so that conventional considerations about the boundary layer arriving at the corner are questionable; and the Reynolds number based on the step height appears to be important. Some typical shadowgraph pictures and data studies representing the referred to flow structures are presented. Also presented is a preliminary study of the separation shock structure.