Numerical investigations of three-dimensional shock-wave/boundary-layer interactions at Mach 6 hypersonic flow

Abstract: The paper discusses numerical simulations of three-dimensional interactions of a sharp unswept fin and a laminar boundary layer. These are some of the simplest three-dimensional interactions but are very important for the development of high-speed aircraft and re-entry vehicles. We discuss two canonical configurations, namely a 3degrees single-fin and a 3degrees double-fin flat plate, in a hypersonic flow at Mach 5.6 and 5.9, respectively. The wall pressure distributions for the single-fin configuration show good agreement with previous experiments in the literature, where an upstream pressure influence and a gradual pressure plateau are felt due to the separation of the flow by the interaction. The qualitative flow features from the static pressure contours and streamline plots are also discussed. Keywords: shock-wave boundary-layer interactions, three-dimensional, hypersonic aerodynamics