Scaling analysis and experimental validation for incident shock wave/boundary layer interactions under the influence of gradual expansion waves

Cowl-induced incident Shock Wave/Boundary Layer Interactions(SWBLI) under the influence of gradual expansion waves are frequently observed in supersonic inlets. However, the analysis and prediction of interaction lengths have not been sufficiently investigated. First, this study presents a theoretical scaling analysis and validates it through wind tunnel experiments. It conducts detailed control volume analysis of mass conservation, considering the differences between inviscid and viscous cases. Then, three models for analysing interaction length under gradual expansion waves are derived. Related experiments using schlieren photography are conducted to validate the models in a Mach 2.73 flow. The interaction scales are captured at various relative distances between the shock impingement location and the expansion regions with wedge angles ranging from 12° to 15° and expansion angles of 9°, 12°, and 15°. Three trend lines are plotted based on different expansion angles to depict the relationship between normalised interaction length and normalised interaction strength metric. In addition, the relationship between the coefficients of the trend line and the expansion angles is introduced to predict the interaction length influenced by gradual expansion waves. Finally, the estimation of normalised interaction length is derived for various coefficients within a unified form.