Computational and experimental investigation of two-dimensional scramjet inlets and hypersonic flow over a sharp flat plate

The WIND code was employed to compute the hypersonic flow in the shock wave boundary layer merged region near the leading edge of a sharp flat plate. Solutions were obtained at Mach numbers from 9.86 to 15.0 and free stream Reynolds numbers of 3,467 to 346,700 in−1 (1.365 · 105 to 1.365 · 107 m−1) for perfect gas conditions. The numerical results indicated a merged shock wave and viscous layer near the leading edge. The merged region grew in size with increasing free stream Mach number, proportional to M_∞ 2/Re_∞. Profiles of the static pressure in the merged region indicated a strong normal pressure gradient (∂p/∂y). The normal pressure gradient has been neglected in previous analyses which used the boundary layer equations.; The shock wave near the leading edge was thick, as has been experimentally observed. Computed shock wave locations and surface pressures agreed well within experimental error for values of the rarefaction parameter, χ/M _∞2 < 0.3. A preliminary analysis using kinetic theory indicated that rarefied flow effects became important above this value. In particular, the WIND solution agreed well in the transition region between the merged flow, which was predicted well by the theory of Li and Nagamatsu, and the downstream region where the strong interaction theory applied.; Additional computations with the NPARC code, WIND's predecessor, demonstrated the ability of the code to compute hypersonic inlet flows at free stream Mach numbers up to 20. Good qualitative agreement with measured pressure data indicated that the code captured the important physical features of the shock wave - boundary layer interactions. The computed surface and pitot pressures fell within the combined experimental and numerical error bounds for most points. The calculations demonstrated the need for extremely fine grids when computing hypersonic interaction flows.