SAE1301 AERODYNAMICS - II

QUESTION BANK
UNIT 1 CONCEPT OF COMPRESSIBLE FLOW
PART A
1. Differentiate between compressible and incompressible
flow
Answer: Compressible Fluid: The density, volume of the
compressible fluid can be changed with the application of a
pressure on the fluid.
Incompressible Fluid: The density, volume of the
incompressible fluid cannot be changed with the application
of a pressure on the fluid.
2. Elaborate the Bernoulli’s equation for incompressible flow.
Answer:

3. Summarize the adiabatic relation between pressure and

density.
Answer:

4. Explain Mach angle?

Answer: It is defined as half of the angle of Mach cone. It is
denoted by 'muh'.

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5. Summarize the following: (i) Zone of action (ii) Zone of
silence (iii) Mach Waves (or) Mach lines.
Answer:
1)Zone of action: When the Mach number is greater than 1
(M>1), the effect of disturbance is full only in the region
inside the Mach cone. This region is known as the zone of
action.
2)Zone of silence: When the Mach number is greater than
'1.0' (M>1), the effect of disturbance is not full in the region
outside the Mach cone. This region which is outside the
Mach cone is known as zone of silence.
3)Mach Waves: A Mach wave is a pressure wave traveling
with the speed of sound caused by a slight change of
pressure added to a compressible flow.
4)Mach lines: A theoretical line representing the backsweep
of a cone-shaped shock wave made by an assumed
infinitesimally small particle moving at the same speed and
along the same flight path as that of an actual body or
particle.

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6. Classify the flow regimes in terms of Mach number.

7. Elaborate the Bernoulli’s equation for compressible flow.

Answer:
8. Distinguish between thermally perfect gas and calorically
perfect gas?

If the specific heat capacity is a constant value, the gas is said

to be calorically perfect

If the specific heat capacity is a function of temperature, the gas

is said to be thermally perfect

9. A convergent divergent nozzle required to expand a flow

from stagnation condition to supersonic velocity. Justify it.

In divergent portion of nozzle , specific volume of fluid

increases at a higher rate than the crossectional area along the
divergent portion. So to maintain constant mass flow rate
(M=A*V*density), velocity of flow increases reaching Mach
numbers greater than one.

10. Explain the phenomenon of choking in a nozzle?

Choked flow is a limiting condition where the mass flow will

not increase with a further decrease in the downstream pressure
environment for a fixed upstream pressure and temperature.

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 UNIT II COMPRESSION AND EXPANSION WAVES
PART A
1. Explian Normal Shock?

When an object moves faster than the speed of sound, and there
is an abrupt decrease in the flow area, the flow process is
irreversible and the entropy increases. Shock waves are
generated. If the shock wave is perpendicular to the flow
direction it is called a normal shock

2. Enumerate the Hugoniot equation and explain each terms

involved in it.

3. Explain the functions of shock tube?

Shock tubes (and related impulse facilities such as shock

tunnels, expansion tubes, and expansion tunnels) can be used
to study aerodynamic flow under a wide range of temperatures
and pressures that are difficult to obtain in other types of testing
facilities.

4. Illustrate Oblique shock?

An oblique shock wave, unlike a normal shock, is inclined with

respect to the incident upstream flow direction. It will occur
when a supersonic flow encounters a corner that effectively
turns the flow into itself and compresses.

5. Distinguish between shock wave and expansion wave.

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In a shock wave, the thermodynamic parameters increase
whereas across a expansion wave the thermodynamic
parameters decrease.

6. Give the relation between Shock angle (), Mach number

and Flow deflection angle ().

7. Extend Shock Polar for shock waves?

The term shock polar is generally used with the graphical

representation of the Rankine–Hugoniot equations in either the
hodograph plane or the pressure ratio-flow deflection angle
plane. The polar itself is the locus of all possible states after an
oblique shock.

8. Express characteristic Mach number?

A Characteristic Mach number is the Mach number attained by

the fluid when the throat section is hypothetically brought to
sonic conditions.
It is simply the maximum value of Mach number it can attain
in a choked nozzle flow.
9. Explain why shocks cannot occur in subsonic flows?

Since the flow across a shock wave is irreversible, the

downstream state must have the higher entropy. The upstream

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state is supersonic and the downstream state is subsonic. Thus,
shock waves can happen only in supersonic flow and the flow
becomes subsonic once it crosses a shock wave.

10. Justify the flow over a cone different from flow over a
wedge.

The main differences between the supersonic flow over a cone

and wedge, both with the same body angle, are that
(1) the shock wave on the cone is weaker,
(2) the cone surface pressure is less, and
(3) the streamlines above the cone surface are curved rather
than straight.

11. Illustrate shock polar. Draw the shock polar for different
Mach numbers.

The term shock polar is generally used with the graphical

representation of the Rankine–Hugoniot equations in either the
hodograph plane or the pressure ratio-flow deflection angle
plane. The polar itself is the locus of all possible states after an
oblique shock.

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12. Explain why a supersonic airplane is not given a blunt
nose?

Below the speed of sound, blunt noses have the least drag.
Above the speed of sound sharp noses have the least drag
because of the presence of a shock wave. A sharp nose makes
it easier and cheaper to fly at supersonic speeds.

Issued in Public Interest by Arjith Praison