Supersonic Flow and Shock Waves-

Stationary Normal Shock Waves

Lecture Notes for Students
WEC-ME 406
Dr Sajid Hussain
 Moving Disturbance In A Fluid
• As an object moves through a fluid medium it creates pressure
waves.
• Pressure waves travel out at the speed of sound which in term
depends on gas properties and temperature (more on this later).
• If the object is traveling significantly slower than sonic velocity,
then pressure waves travel out uniformly similar to waves on the
surface of a pond.
 Moving Disturbance In A Fluid
• As the object approaches the speed of sound, it begins to catch up
with the pressure waves and creates an infinitesimally weak flow
discontinuity just ahead of the aircraft
 Moving Disturbance In A Fluid
• As the vehicle breaks the speed of sound, the infinitesimally
weak
Mach waves begin to add up along a “Mach Line” and form a
strong
pressure wave with highly compressed air, called a Shockwave.
 Moving Disturbance In A Fluid
• As Mach number increases, the strength of the shock wave increases
and the Angle of the shockwave becomes increasingly severe

• Mach Angle


Credit: Selkirk College Professional Aviation Program

 How And Why Does A Shock Wave Form?
• “a” is ‘speed of sound in the medium ’
and Mach number “M=V/a” as ratio of
flow speed to speed of sound

• If M < 1 information available throughout

flow field

• If M > 1 information confined to some

region of flow field Zone of silence

Zone of Action
How And Why Does A
Shock Wave Form?
Schlieren Photograph of Shock Waves
 Formation of Shock
Wave
 A piston in a tube is given a small constant
velocity increment to the right of magnitude V, a
sound wave travels ahead of the piston.

 A second increment of velocity  V causing a

second wave to move into the compressed gas
behind the first wave.

 As the second wave moves into a gas that is

already moving (into a compressed gas having a
slightly elevated temperature), the second waves
travels with a greater velocity.

 The wave next to the piston tend to overtake

those father down the tube.

As time passes, the compression wave

steepens.
Fired pistol.
Schlieren photograph of the muzzle blast of a .22 calibre pistol: propellent gas in
wake of bullet and spherical shock wave.
Normal Shock Waves
 Shock Wave
Shock wave is a very thin region in a flow where a supersonic
flow is decelerated to subsonic flow. The process is adiabatic but
non-isentropic.
Shock wave

M1 M2

T
 Normal Shock Wave

Shock wave
 A shock wave which is straight
with the flow at right angles to the M1 M2
wave.
V
 A plane surface of discontinuity
normal to flow direction P

T
Types of Shock Waves

Normal shock wave Oblique shock wave

Curved shock wave
- easiest to analyze - will be analyzed
- difficult to
based on normal
analyze
shock relations
-The flow across a shock wave is adiabatic but
not isentropic (because it is irreversible). So:
T01  T02
P01  P02
 Shock Wave Formation
Over A Supersonic Aircraft
Normal Shocks

T1 T2
P1 P2
V1 V2
Normal Shocks

T1 T2
P1 P2
V1 V2
Normal Shocks
Normal Shocks
Normal Shocks Relations
Normal Shocks Relations
Normal Shocks Relations

Rankine -Hugoniot
Relations
Normal Shocks Relations ( Contd.)
Variation of Properties across Normal
Shock
 Variation of Properties
Across Normal Shock

Across A Normal Shock Wave

 Downstream flow will be subsonic
 Flow is adiabatic but not isentropic
 Large and discontinuous rise in static pressure
 Static temperature increases moderately
 Stagnation temperature remains constant(adiabatic)
 Stagnation pressure and stagnation density decrease (in the same ratio)
 Throat area A* increases slowly at first and then rapidly
 Entropy increases (Weak shocks are nearly isentropic)
Chapter 4 (Stationary Normal Shocks)- EA John
Chapter 4 (Stationary Normal Shocks)- EA John
Chapter 4 (Stationary Normal Shocks)- EA
John
Chapter 4 (Stationary Normal Shocks)- EA John
Chapter 4 (Stationary Normal Shocks)- EA John
Chapter 4 (Stationary Normal Shocks)- EA
John
Chapter 4 (Stationary Normal Shocks)- EA
John