Experimental results of an investigation of the three-dimensional interaction between a skewed shock wave and a turbulent boundary layer are presented. Surface pressure and heat transfer distributions and oil flow photographs were obtained at a freestream Mach number of 5.85 and two Reynolds numbers of ten and twenty million per foot. The model configuration consisted of a shock generator mounted perpendicularly to a flat plate. The shock generator leading edge was sharp and nonswept and intersected the flat plate surface about 8.5 inches downstream of the flat plate leading edge. The shock generator surface was 7.55 inches long and 3 inches high and its angle to the freestream flow was adjusted from 4 to 20 degrees. The generated shock waves were of sufficient strength to produce turbulent boundary layer separation on the flat plate surface.

An extensive experimental study of three-dimensional shock wave turbulent boundary layer interactions caused by shock generators defined solely by angles has been carried out at Mach 3. Sharp fins, sharp swept fins, swept wedges, and semi-cones have been used to generate a wide range of shock waves. The interaction of these waves with turbulent boundary layers has been investigated by surface flow visualization, mean surface static pressure distributions, flowfield surveys of total pressure and yaw, and several flowfield visualization techniques. Some exploratory high frequency surface pressure measurements have been carried out to evaluate the steadiness of these interactions. Scaling laws for both surface and flowfield features have been derived. Some limited studies were carried out at a Mach number of 2. A flowfield study has shown that the initial part of interactions caused by the same strength and geometrical shock wave generated by different shock generators are all similar. The 'footprints' of the interactions, as shown by surface flow visualization, can be categorized as approximately conical or cylindrical, and the boundaries between these two regions have been defined for both Mach 3 and Mach 2. There are still questions with regards to the detailed flowfield structures and physical mechanisms, but the three-dimensional interactions appeared to be less unsteady than that of two-dimensional separated flows.

An experimental study of three-dimensional (3-D) shock wave turbulent boundary layer interaction has been carried out. Interactions generated by fin models having sharp and hemi-cylindrically blunted leading edges have been studied. Tests have been made using incoming turbulent boundary layer varying in thickness in the ratio of about 4:1. Extensive surface property measurements have been made on the test surface on which the incoming boundary layer developed and on the fin itself. All of these tests were carried out at a nominal freestream Mach number of 3, a freestream unit Reynolds number of about 63 million per meter, and under approximately adiabatic wall conditions. The emphasis in the study reported on in this paper was on two main areas. First, to determine the key geometric and/or flow parameters controlling the overall scaling and characteristics of both blunt and sharp fin-induced interactions. Second, to identify the conditions under which both blunt and sharp fins induced interactions have the same local scale and characteristics. (Author).

Shock wave-boundary-layer interaction (SBLI) is a fundamental phenomenon in gas dynamics that is observed in many practical situations, ranging from transonic aircraft wings to hypersonic vehicles and engines. SBLIs have the potential to pose serious problems in a flowfield; hence they often prove to be a critical - or even design limiting - issue for many aerospace applications. This is the first book devoted solely to a comprehensive, state-of-the-art explanation of this phenomenon. It includes a description of the basic fluid mechanics of SBLIs plus contributions from leading international experts who share their insight into their physics and the impact they have in practical flow situations. This book is for practitioners and graduate students in aerodynamics who wish to familiarize themselves with all aspects of SBLI flows. It is a valuable resource for specialists because it compiles experimental, computational and theoretical knowledge in one place.