Three-Dimensional Bow-Shock Interactions Between High-Speed Slender Bodies at Incidence

The study of interfering bodies in supersonic airflow is important to the development of a number of flight vehicles, since the aerodynamic loads experienced by the body of interest (the receiver) can be influenced significantly by the interference created when in close proximity to a disturbance generator. Of particular significance is the three-dimensional bow shock emanating from the disturbance generator, striking the cylindrical surface of the slender, disturbance receiver. The impinging forebody bow shock not only causes local elevations in the receiver’s surface pressure but modifies the flow angularity over the body as well. In addition, altering the attitude of the receiver to the free stream flow introduces additional complexity to the interaction, since the impinging disturbance shock wave undergoes a mutual interaction with the separated flow on the leeside of the inclined receiver. Many researchers have reported integrated force and moment characteristics of bodies in interference flow fields, but in most cases, limited explanation of the underlying flow physics and wave dynamics of the interaction is given.