The interaction between shock waves and boundary layers at the trailing edge of a double-wedge aerofoil at supersonic speed

Abstract

A comprehensive review of the work at the National Physical Laboratory on shock-wave--boundary-layer interaction has recently been published. The experiments reported below were designed to investigate a further case of this interaction which was not considered in Ref. 1 ; namely, that occurring near the trailing edge of a double-wedge aerofoil at supersonic speed. This interaction should be similar to that where the shock is generated by a wedge attached to a flat plate; indeed, the only difference between these two cases is that the downstream solid boundary of the latter is replaced by the centre-line of the wake of the aerofoil. Experimental results confirm that these interactions are both qualitatively and quantitatively similar and further support the physical explanations of these flow patterns given in Ref. 1; moreover, the results apply generally to aerofoils with flat surfaces towards the rear.