Experimental study of second-mode wave on a flared cone at Mach 6

Abstract

Second-mode instability plays an important role in the transition of a hypersonic boundary layer. The second-mode wave on a flared cone at Mach 6 has been investigated experimentally through the Nanoparticle-tracer based Planar Laser Scattering (NPLS) technique in this paper. Different behaviors of the second-mode wave ranging from linear growth to deformation are visualized under different unit Reynolds numbers. The propagation velocity of the second-mode wave is quantitatively calculated, and the spectral properties of the second-mode wave have been analyzed by the power spectrum density. The characteristic frequency of the second-mode wave calculated from the NPLS images agrees well with the results measured by the transducers. Evolution of the wall-normal distribution of disturbance shows that high frequency harmonics are generated during the growth process of the second-mode wave and its normal distribution range shrinks with the increase in its frequency. The bispectral analysis indicates that the high degree of phase coupling may be the reason for the deformation of the second-mode wave. The nonlinear interaction between the disturbance waves is strong during the deformation stage of the second-mode waves.