Viscous interaction phenomena in hypersonic wedge flow

Abstract

We deal with an experimental investigation carried out to study some aspects of shock/boundary-layer interaction in nominally two-dimensional hypersonic wedge flow, i.e., over flat plate/rump configurations. These flow conditions are two dimensional only geometrically because some spanwise periodic variations of the heat flux over the ramp in the reattaching flow region are observed. The measurements, basically made by means of a computerized infrared (IR) imaging system, have been performed in a blowdown wind tunnel at Mach number equal to 7.14 and unit Reynolds number ranging from 7.6 x 10 6 to 24 X 10 6 /m. The influence of the leading-edge shape (bluntness and geometry), flat plate length, and ramp angle on the separation region, average heat transfer at reattachment, and wavelength of the heat transfer variations has been analyzed. IR results are compared to other experimental data as well as to semiempirical correlations for the heat flux peak.