The inverse Mach reflection
Abstract
A particular type of Mach reflection - the inverse Mach reflection - is investigated both experimentally and theoretically. It is shown that the inverse Mach reflection is of a fundamental type in truly unsteady flows. The special characteristics of the inverse Mach reflection as well as the differences between it and the well-known stationary and direct Mach reflections are discussed. A unique property of the inverse Mach reflection, i.e., its reflection from a solid surface, is revealed experimentally and explained analytically using shock polars. The importance of this research lies in the fact that the inverse Mach reflection plays a significant role in the Mach reflection phenomenon in truly unsteady flows to which many such phenomena in nature belong.
- Publication:
-
AIAA Journal
- Pub Date:
- December 1985
- DOI:
- 10.2514/3.9187
- Bibcode:
- 1985AIAAJ..23.1853T
- Keywords:
-
- Flow Measurement;
- Mach Reflection;
- Solid Surfaces;
- Unsteady Flow;
- Computational Fluid Dynamics;
- Concavity;
- Cylindrical Bodies;
- Reflected Waves;
- Shock Waves;
- Wedges;
- Fluid Mechanics and Heat Transfer