OBLIQUE SHOCKS An oblique shock front forms a boundary of discontinuity in a supersonic gas flow which is inclined from a direction normal to the oncoming flow; thus, a normal shock is a special form of an oblique shock. Oblique shocks occur in most supersonic flows, although it is not necessary that shocks exist just because supersonic flow exists. ‘An oblique shock may be visualized by superimposing a tangential velocity component ‘on to the upstream and downstream velocities of a normal shock. This is equivalent to observing the shock while moving along the normal shock front with a velocity V, [where the subscript ¢ denotes the tangential component]; ef. Fig 1. Subscripts | and 2 will be used for upstream and downstream conditions, respectively, rather than x and y, in order to distinguish between the normal shock results and the oblique shock results. Subscripts n and t will refer to the normal and tangential components, respectively. Normal shock front Streamline yy @ My ‘Oblique shock front Fig 1 Oblique shock relations obtained from normal shock situation: (a) Normal shock, (b) Oblique shock, and (¢) Oblique shock angles. Oblique shock equations may be obtained from the continuity, linear momentum [in both Page 1 of 10tangential and normal directions}, and energy equations; or from a transformation of the normal, shock equations. ‘The transformation method will be used here. Using Fig | for orientation, we may write the upstream Mach number as: M, = V,/a, and V,, = V, sin 8 so that Yn 1. Thus, there is a minimum wave angle 8 for a given upstream Mach number M,, the maximum wave angle J being that for a normal shock. Consequently, we have the inequality ‘ac = sin!) =| < Bs > MO A useful relation between M,, @ and # may be obtained by noting that in Fig 1, tan B= V,,/V;, and tan(B- 8) = V/V, . whereupon tan(B~ 8) Von _ 2+ (y- 1) MP sin’ B tanp Vp sD Mi sin’ B ®) Dividing both numerator and denominator of the last expression by 2M; sin? gives, after simplification, the relation y+1 sinfsind 2 cos(B- 8) Equation (9) is shown graphically in Fig 3. The curves indicate that for a given M, there are two possible wave angles associated with a given half-wedge or deflection angle. The larger wave angle represents a strong shock and the flow downstream is usually subsonic. The smaller ‘wave angle represents a weak shock and the flow downstream is usually supersonic, but less than M,. Also, for a given M, there is a maximum half-wedge or deflection angle associated with this particular M,. This represents the maximum angle of the half-wedge for which the shock remains attached to the solid. sin? B- (2) Page 3 of 10‘Shock angle, 8 Deflection angle 1 1s 2 25 3 35 Fig 3. Relation between shock angle, deflection angle and upstream Mach number for oblique shock fronts in air. The Rankine-Hugoniot equation is also valid for oblique shocks since both pressure and density are thermodynamic properties and do not depend on the motion of the observer. Normal shock tables may be used for the oblique shock situation if M, for a normal shock is taken as the quantity M, sin # for an oblique shock. Then, M, = M, sin(8— @) and the values of all ratios: P,/P., p,/p,. T/T, and P,, / P,, for normal shocks become values of P, /F, , P2/P,> T/T, and P,,/P,, , respectively. As mentioned earlier, there is no change in the tangential velocity across an oblique shock wave front; that is, Viz = V,, = V, = @ constant which means that the tangential velocity has, as its only effect, the addition of a constant kinetic energy, %4 V_ , to each side of the energy ‘equation so that Ata + aha = ht Vat Va (10) ‘Asa consequence, an oblique shock wave is the flow pattern one would observe by running along a normal shock wave front at a constant tangential speed V,, ‘Thus, normal and oblique shock waves are related by a Galilean or inertial velocity transformation and they both satisfy the same basic equations. Continuing with this run-along-the-shock-front analogy, it is possible to show that the deflection angle, @, increases with speed V, up to a maximum value before it decreases. The geometry in Fig. 1 permits one to write the deflection angle as, af VY, V, gta (%)-a-(%) n (4) tan v, ay Page 4 of 10If this relationship for 6 is differentiated with respect to V, and the result set equal to zero, then itis possible to show that a maximum deflection occurs when V,/ Vij =( Vaz! Vy )*. If this result is substituted back into Eq (11), then one obtains 4& % om e = Va Vu 8, Itis possible to interpret this result by considering Fig. 4. For given values of V, and a, , assuming as usual that 7 = 1.4 , we can plot all possible solutions for V; downstream of the shock. The oblique-shock polar hodograph (Fig. 4] shows double solutions {strong and weak] for small deflection angles and no solutions at all for large deflection angles. These results are shown in velocity component coordinates V, and V, with the x coordinate parallel to V;. The thick, solid line in Fig 4 represents the locus, or collection, of all possible solutions for a given value of either V, or M,. The two dashed-line fishtails are solutions which increase V and are thus not physically possible as they violate the second law of thermodynamics. Fig4 — Oblique-shock polar hodograph showing double solutions for small deflection angles and no solutions for large deflection angles. A maximum of two possible solutions exits for any small deflection angle 9 reflecting a strong shock solution which greatly decelerates the flow and a weak shock solution which causes amuch milder deceleration. The flow downstream of the strong shock is always subsonic while the flow downstream of a weak shock is usually supersonic but may, occasionally, be subsonic if the deflection is sufficiently large. The weak shock is more prevalent [occurs frequently and often in supersonic flows], whereas the strong shock will only occur if there is a blockage or high-pressure situation downstream. The maximum deflection angle, Apax, is illustrated on Fig 4 as the point on the shock-polar hodograph which is tangential to the straight deflection line and to the locus of points that represent an acceptable solution. The physical situation for deflections with angles @ < 0. is illustrated in Fig 5 by a wedge of half-angle @ that is less than Ba SO that an oblique shock forms at the leading edge of the wedge with a shock-front angle of ff which is sufficient to cause the oncoming supersonic flow stream to deflect through the half-wedge angle of @. Except for the usually small effect of boundary layer formation, the Mach number Page 5 of 10afier the shock front, M, , is essentially constant along the wedge’s surface. The temperature, pressure and density along the wedge’s surface are also nearly constant as indicated from Eqs (4) through (6). When the gas flow reaches the rear comer of the wedge it expands to a higher Mach number. Weak shock family ‘above sonic line Strong shock family below sonic line Fig 5 Supersonic flow past a wedge with Fig 6 Supersonie flow past a wedge with a smal] wedge angle and attached a large wedge angle and a broadly oblique shock front. curved, detached shock front. In Fig 6 the wedge half-angle is greater than 0,,,, and an attached, oblique shock wave is impossible. The gas flow cannot deflect, all at once, through the entire wedge angle. As a result, the flow forms a detached, curved shock front in front of the wedge [this is also called a bow shock] which discontinuously deflects the flow around the wedge through angles which are smaller than Ajay. After passing through the bow shock, the flow curves, then expands and finally deflects subsonically around the wedge before re-accelerating to sonic and then supersonic behaviour as it passes the wedge’s rear comer region. At each point along the bow shock a local deflection angle may be defined so that the oblique shock relations are satisfied for that particular value of f and the given Mach number M,. ‘The complete family of oblique shock wave solutions can be plotted or computed from the equations above. In addition, for a particular value of y the wave angle varies with M, and 6 according to the relation 2cot A{.M? sin? f-1) “2+ M3(y +c0s° £) All possible solution to Eq (13) are shown in Fig 7. For deflections @ < Oy there are two solutions: a weak shock solution [with small ] and a strong shock solution [with large BJ. All points along the dash-dot curve define Oya, as given by Eq (12). The dashed curve in Fig 7 shows tan? (13) Page 6 of 10those locations where M,; is exactly sonic. There is a narrow region between the two curves and near maximum deflection where the weak shock downstream flow is subsonic. For a zero angle deflection; that is, @ = 0, the weak shock solutions satisfy the wave angle relation ‘ E p= unin } (14) which indicates that weak shocks of vanishing deflection [ 9 + 0 ] are equivalent to Mach waves. Fig 7 also shows that strong shocks all converge, at zero deflection angle, to the normal mn that B= % Figures 8 and 9 give the downstream Mach number M; and the pressure ratio P;/ P; as functions of the upstream Mach number M, and the deflection angle @. shock con¢ so" 20" 20°| Detection angle, 0 o Wave angle. 8 Fig 7 Oblique shock wave deflection angle, @ , as a function of upstream Mach number and the shock wave angle, f , for y= 1.4 [Air]. The dash-dot curve denotes points Where @= Gq, and this curves divides the plot into regions of strong shock [right side] versus regions of weak shock effects [left side]. For finite, meaning non-zero, values of @ the wave angle f for a weak shock is greater than the Mach angle . It is possible, for small values of @,, to expand Eq (13) as a power series in tan 4 to obtain the following linearized result ‘1 tan O+...0(tan? 0) (as) sin B= sin 4eosu Page 7 of 10Fig 8 Mach number M; downstream of an oblique shock as a function of deflection angle @ and upstream Mach number M, 5 6560 55 50 70 Fig 9. Pressure ratio downstream of an oblique shock as a function of deflection angle @ and the upstream Mach number M;. Page 8 of 10Equation (15) can, for 1.4 < M, < 20.0 and deflections of less than 6°, predict to within 1° for a weak shock. For larger deflection, Eq (15) may be used to obtain an initial estimate for an iterative solution to Eq. (13). Other property changes across an oblique shock, like those shown above, can also be expanded in a power series for small deflection angles. One example is the pressure change which may be expressed in linearized form for a weak shock as P-P yp =r Ve x (m-1) This relation is used subsequently to develop a theory [Prandtl-Meyer Expansion Wave theory] for gradual expansion turns or streamline deflections. The pressure change across a weak oblique shock wave front ig shown in Fig 10. tan O+...o{tan? 4) (16) 20 °o 3 1 18 Frow defection Fig 10 Pressure jump across a weak oblique shock front as described by Eq (5) for air in the range of very small deflection angle. The dashed curve shows the predicted behaviour using the linear relation given by Eq (16) EXAMPLE Consider an air stream at a pressure of P = 10 Ibf/i moving at Mach 2 which is force through a tum of 10° by a rigid ramp as shown. A weak, oblique shock forms. Compute San using exact oblique shock theory: a) the wave angle , b) the p= loro? Mach number downstream M, and c) the pressure P;. Also use Page 9 of 10the linearized theory to estimate d) f and e) P,. SOLUTION The shock wave front angle # may be determined from either Eqs (8) or (13) as both M, and 8 are known a priori. Using Fig 7 one may read the result that = 39° to within about 1°. If greater accuracy is needed, then one may insert f = 39° and f= 40° in Eq (13) and determine how close @ is to the actual value of 10°. This simple comparison yields. Eq (13) with M;=2 B= 39° gives @= 9.71° B= 40° gives 0 = 10.62° whereupon one may obtain, via interpolation, the more accurate result that = 39.3°. ‘The Mach number upstream of the shack front is obtained from the relation My = M,sinB = 2.0 sin (39.3°) = 1.267 which permits one to evaluate, using either normal shock tables or the Eqs (3) and (5) the values M; = 0.803 and P,/P, = 1.707 Thus, the downstream Mach number and pressure are M; = Mj;/sin(B-6) = 0.803 /sin(39,32°-10°) = 1.64 P; = (10 Ibf/in?) (1.707) = 17.1 IbE/ in? which is reasonable given Fig 9. For the corresponding linearized theory the Mach angle is given by # = sin‘!(%) = 30°, Equation (15) is then used to estimate sin = sin30° + (2.4 tan 10°)/(4c0s30°) = 0.622 or B = 385° Finally, Eq (16) is used to estimate P,/P,=1 + [1.4 (@) tan 10°]/[2 -1]}* = 1.37 or P; = 1.57 (10 Ibf/in?) = 15.7 Ibf/in® Page 10 of 10