On The Near Field Mean Flow Structure Of Transverse Jets Issuing Into A Supersonic Freestream
Abstract
The near field mean flow structure of transverse jets issuing from a surface into
supersonic crossflow is examined using numerical methods and separation topology. The
Navier-Stokes solver Falcon, developed at Lockheed Martin, was used to simulate the
interaction between the jet and freestream over a flat plate and a generic missile body.
The near field flow structure included a l bow shock upstream of the jet interacting with
the approaching boundary layer that forms a pair of horseshoe vortices while another l-
structure closer to the jet formed a second pair of horseshoe vortices. As the jet was
turned downstream by the crossflow, the so-called barrel shock terminates in a Mach disk
while vortices formed within the jet plume. Downstream of the jet exit, new flow
structure was identified in the form of three pairs of vortices. Horn, near field and far field wake vortices were present downstream of the jet as well as a series of compression
waves resulting in a gradual pressure rise downstream of the jet overexpansion. The
wave formations and the vortices formed from them affected separation topology,
performance parameters and amplification coefficients. The current understanding of the
flow structure in the near field of a transverse jet in supersonic flow must be amended to
include these newly identified vortices and compression waves.