Experiments on Oblique Shock Interactions with Planar Mixing Regions

Experimental studies using supersonic mixing configurations have revealed varying degrees of shock-induced mixing augmentation. Increases in turbulent activity through shock impingement have been observed; however, it appears that such changes in turbulent activity do not necessarily translate into sustained mixing augmentation downstream. Theoretical and experimental studies indicate that mixing augmentation can be sustained by the interaction of an oblique shock wave with a discrete fuel jet, which induces significant streamwise vorticity. However, in a numerical study of shock-induced mixing augmentation of square fuel jets, it was found that the major contribution to the mixing augmentation was actually from the vorticity amplification associated with the shock-induced convergence of the jet rather than the induced streamwise vorticity. To investigate the influence of shock compression on the development of the postshock mixing region, an inviscid analysis describing the steady interaction of an oblique shock wave and a planar mixing region was developed. This model can be used to estimate parameters such as the shock trajectory, the strength of waves reflected from the interaction process, and the postshock vorticity. The present work examines the application of the inviscid interaction model in a hypersonic configuration and focuses on the details of the shock wave–mixing region interaction process.