A Survey Followed by Experimental and Computational Study on Standard Objects to Understand Supersonic Flow Behaviour

Understanding shockwave formation and its interaction with different aerodynamic bodies is important not only for high-speed vehicle design but also for getting insight regarding complex aerodynamics/thermodynamics along with validation of commercially available flow solvers. This research investigated the shock structures around two basic geometries which are wedge (10°) and a shock cone (25° half-angle) using Schlieren imaging of supersonic wind tunnel of CAE. The research is backed with the analytical textbook classical formulations and steady Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) at Mach numbers of 1.5, 1.75, 2.0, and 2.25. The CFD simulations utilized the SST k–ω turbulence model with Sutherland’s three-coefficient viscosity model for accurate boundary layer and shock resolution. Schlieren visualization captured the real-time shock angles, while the analytical θ − β − M relationships provided analytical benchmarks for comparison. The results reflected an excellent agreement of shockwave characteristics in between CFD and analytical calculations for attached shocks. The shock angle β and Mach number M correlation are analyzed for both the models. Shock to shock and shock to boundary layer interactions were also studied for double wedge using CFD simulations for enhanced understanding of shockwave phenomenon. This work provided a foundational validation for future high-speed aerodynamic studies and demonstrated the utility of combining experimental, analytical and numerical techniques for characterizing compressible flows.