Measurement and simulation of hypersonic fluid-structural interaction on a cantilevered plate in a Mach 6 flow

Abstract

The fluid-structural interaction of a cantilevered low-carbon steel plate oscillating and deforming plastically under the action of a hypersonic flow at Mach 5.8 was measured and simulated analytically and numerically. Displacement, flow field and surface pressure histories were measured during the fluid-structural interaction. High-speed schlieren video was used to simultaneously measure the displacement of the edge of the plate and the structure of the interacting compressible flow field including the position of shocks, expansions and the boundary layer. Fast response pressure-sensitive paint was used to map the history of pressure distribution on the surface of the plate. The plate was observed to deform plastically and this was accounted for in the FEM simulations. Experimental and numerical results showed partial agreement and suggestions for improving the experiment are discussed.