Experimental study of the shock wave-turbulent boundary layer interaction

An experimental investigation was conducted to study the interaction between a shock wave and a turbulent boundary layer. The boundary layer was formed on the floor of a wind tunnel operating with a free-stream Mach number of 2.94 and a Reynolds number based on boundary layer thickness of 3.1 x 10 to the 5th power. A 20 degree compression corner model was used to generate the interaction flowfield. Measurement techniques used in this investigation included Schlieren photography, surface static pressure measurement, surface streak pattern measurement, and laser Doppler velocimetry (LDV). The LDV was used to make two-color, two-component coincident velocity measurements within the redeveloping boundary layer downstream of the interaction. The results of the LDV measurements indicted that both the mean and turbulent flow properties of the boundary layer were significantly altered by the interaction, with large increases in the longitudinal turbulence intensity and Reynolds stress observed in the redeveloping boundary layer.