Potential theory for regular and mach reflection of a shock at a wedge

If a plane shock hits a wedge, a self‐similar pattern of reflected shocks travels outward as the shock moves forward in time. The nature of the pattern is explored for weak incident shocks (strength b ) and small wedge angles 2θ w through potential theory, a number of different scalings, some study of mixed equations and matching asymptotics for the different scalings. The self‐similar equations are of mixed type. A linearization gives a linear mixed flow valid away from a sonic curve. Near the sonic curve a shock solution is constructed in another scaling except near the zone of interaction between the incident shock and the wall where a special scaling is used. The parameter β = c 1 θ 2 w (γ + 1) b ranges from 0 to ∞. Here γ is the polytropic constant and C 1 is the sound speed behind the incident shock. For β > 2 regular reflection (weak or strong) can occur and the whole pattern is reconstructed to lowest order in shock strength. For β < 1/2 Mach reflection occurs and the flow behind the reflection is subsonic and can be constructed in principle (with an open elliptic problem) and matched. The case β = 0 can be solved. For 1/2 < β < 2 or even larger β the flow behind a Mach reflection may be transonic and further investigation must be made to determine what happens. The basic pattern of reflection is an almost semi‐circular shock issuing, for regular reflection, from the reflection point on the wedge and for Mach reflection, matched with a local interaction flow. Assuming their nature, choosing the least entropy generation, the weak regular reflection will occur for β sufficiently large (von Neumann paradox). An accumulation point of vorticity occurs on the wedge above the leading point. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.