Dynamic Shock Waves transitions in Unsteady Supersonic Flows

Predicting the shock reflections and the shock wave interactions holds paramount importance in the design and operation of various engineering applications, including supersonic and hypersonic vehicles, explosion gas dynamics, and shock wave focusing. The dynamic transition between Regular Reflection (RR) and Mach Reflection (MR) phenomena significantly affects the functionality and design of supersonic and hypersonic air-breathing vehicles. Consequently, this study investigates the dynamic transition between RR and MR in unsteady supersonic flow using a two-dimensional moving wedge, wherein the trailing edge moves upstream along the x-direction with a velocity, V(t), while considering different free-stream Mach numbers. The transient simulation is carried out using an unsteady compressible inviscid flow solver, employing the Arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian (ALE) technique to simulate the wedge motion. The transition from RR to MR is defined using sonic and detachment criteria. The study's results shed light on the impact of the moving wedge rate on the dynamic shock system.