CH 2100 Fluid Dynamics

Normal Shock Waves

Mach Waves - Travel of small amplitude disturbances

Shock waves - Travel of large amplitude disturbances

Examples

• The flow in a gas barrel ahead of the projectile

• The exit flow from a rocket or jet engine nozzle
• The air flow around a supersonic aircraft
• The expanding front due to an explosion

In every case the flow upstream of the shock is supersonic, while that downstream is subsonic and at a higher
pressure.

Changes occurring in a shock are not reversible and so not isentropic.

Normal - One perpendicular to the direction of flow.

Shock Waves

Oblique - One that is not perpendicular to the flow.

Note:

In practice a shockwave is not abrupt, but the distance over which it occurs is of the order of only a few times
the mean free path of the molecules (about 0.3  m in atmospheric air), For most purposes, therefore, the
changes in flow properties (pressure, density, velocity and so on) may be supposed abrupt and discontinuous
and to take place across a surface termed the Shock Wave.

Relationship between quantities upstream and downstream of a shock

Shock Wave

U1 U2
P1 P2
1 2
T1 T2

Upstream Downstream

Normal Shock

To obtain steady flow, consider shock stationary and the velocities U1, U2 are relative to it.

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 CH 2100 Fluid Dynamics
Assumption:
As the shock region is so thus, any change in the cross-sectional area of a stream-tube from one side of the
shock to the other is negligible.

Momentum Equation
Continuity Equation
(P1 − P2 ) = 1V1 (V2 − V1 )
1V1 =  2 V2
P
Since =   V2    V2 
RT P1 1 + 1 1  = P2 1 + 2 2 
 P1   P2 
P1 V1 P2 V2
= V 2
RT1 RT2 Since, M2 =
PK
V = M KRT
Also
( ) (
P1 1 + KM12 = P2 1 + KM 22 )
P2 M 2 T2
=1 P2 1 + KM12
P1 M1 T1  =
P1 1 + KM 22

 =W V22 − V12 K  P2 P1 
Energy equation with G  =0 +  − =0
K − 1   2 1 
s
2
Since P = RT
V22 2
 K − 1 V22   K − 1 V12 
+
K
(RT2 ) = V1 + K (RT1 ) T2 1 +  = T1 1 + 
2 K −1 2 K −1  KRT 2 2   KRT 1 2 

K −1 2
1+ M1
V2 T2 2
Also M2 = =
KRT T1 K −1 2
1+ M2
2
P T
Now substituting equations (11) and (12) in equation (10) for 2 and 2 we get
P1 T1

 1 + KM12  M2
1
(K − 1)M12
1+ 1 + (K − 1)M12
1
M 22  1 + KM12 
2

  2 =1  2 = 2  
2 
 1 + KM 2
2
1 + (K − 1)M 2 +
1 + (K − 1)M 2
 M1 1 2 1 2 M 1  1 KM 2 
2 2
As obvious trivial solution of this equation is M1 = M 2 ; i.e. conditions up stream and down stream are
2 2

identical and no shock exists.

K −1 2
1+ M1
Simplification gives M 22 = 2 (13)
K −1
KM1 −2

2
Now equation (11) modifies to

P2 2K K −1
= M12 − (14)
P1 K + 1 K +1

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 CH 2100 Fluid Dynamics
and equation (12) modifies to

 K − 1 2  2K 
1 + M1  M12 − 1
T2 
=
2  K − 1  (15)
T1 (K + 1) M 2
2

2(K − 1)
1

For air K=1.4

M12 + 5
M =
2
(16)
7M12 − 1
2

P2 7M12 − 1
= (17)
P1 6

T2
=
( )(
M12 + 5 7M12 − 1 ) (18)
T1 36M12

From equation (16)

* If M1 = 1, then M2 = 1 No shock wave exists.

* If M1 > 1, then M2<1 and the normal shock wave converts a supersonic flow into a subsonic flow.

* If M1 < 1, then M2 > 1 and subsonic to supersonic conversion by a shockwave is impossible.

Shock waves in Converging-Diverging Nozzles

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 CH 2100 Fluid Dynamics
Shock flow - Tutorial

1) A uniformly diverging diffuser has a ratio of outlet to inlet area of 1.5. The diffuser is operating with an air
inlet absolute pressure and temperature of 50 kN/m2 and 350 K respectively and inlet Mach number of 2.0.
Under these conditions a normal shock occurs half way along the length of the diffuser. Assuming the flow
is isentropic except through the shock,

a) Show that the Mach number just before the shock and at the exit plane of the diffuser is 2.257 and 0.421
respectively.
b) Calculate the diffuser efficiency d when operating under the conditions in part (a), where

p e − pi
d =
( p 0i − pi ) − ( p 0 e − p e )

pe, p0e are static and stagnation pressure at the exit and pi, p0i are static and stagnation pressures at the inlet
of the diffuser. The following equations may be used where appropriate without proof.

( +1) / 2 ( −1)
A 1  2 + ( − 1) M 2     −1 2 
=   T0 = T 1 +  M 
A* M  ( + 1)    2  

 /( −1)
p0  T0  2 + ( − 1) M 2
=  M 22 =
p T  2M 12 − ( − 1)

.
p1 (1 + M 12 ) = p2 (1 + M 22 ) a = RT m = Au

2) Air flows from a reservoir through a convergent-divergent nozzle and into a test region. The nozzle throat
diameter is 150mm. The air in the reservoir may be assumed stationary with pressure and temperature 300
kN/m2 and 227 0C respectively, and the test region is maintained at a pressure of 150 kN/m2. Under these
conditions, a normal shock occurs in the divergent section of the nozzle and the air pressure just upstream
of the shock is measured as 20 kN/m2. Assuming that the flow is isentropic, except through the shock,
determine
i) The mass flow rate
ii) The Mach number on the upstream side of the shock
iii) The Mach number on the downstream side of the shock
iv) The Mach number at the exit from the nozzle
v) The nozzle exit temperature
vi) The stagnation pressure loss in the nozzle
The following equations may be used where appropriate without proof.

3) A diverging duct in which the cross sectional area varies linearly between inlet and outlet has a ratio of
outlet to inlet areas of 1.4. When used as a supersonic nozzle with a static air pressure of 120 kN/m2 and
Mach number is 1.75 at inlet, a normal shock is observed to occur, located at 70% of the length of the duct
from the inlet end. While operating under these conditions, the measured air pressure at the outlet end of
the duct is 373.9 kN/m2.
Assuming no losses other than shock losses,
(i) Confirm that the Mach number immediately upstream of the shock has a value of approximately
2.06.
(ii) Calculate the Mach number at the outlet end of the duct.
(iii) Calculate the overall stagnation pressure loss resulting from the flow conditions.

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 CH 2100 Fluid Dynamics
4)
(a) In an air flow in which a normal shock occurs, show that the pressure ratio p02/p2can be expressed as
 /( −1)
   + 1 2  Where subscripts
  M 1 
p02 
=  2  
02 refers to stagnation condition just downstream of the shock
2 refers to conditions just downstream of the shock
p 2   2  2   − 1   1 refers to conditions just upstream of the shock
   M 1 −   
  + 1   +1

b) A normal shock occurs at the entry to a wind tunnel test section. Just downstream of the shock, the
stagnation pressure is 68.0 kN/m2 and the static pressure is 51.0 kN/m2
i) Calculate values for the flow Mach number upstream and downstream of the shock.
ii) If the down stream static temperature is 179 0C, calculate the upstream static and stagnation
temperatures.
iii) Calculate the upstream static pressure.

5)
a) Compare the compression achieved by a normal shock wave in air from an upstream Mach number of 4.0
with that for an isentropic compression between the same two-Mach numbers as the shock.
b) Calculate the ratio of the stagnation pressure across the shock in (a). State the significance of the loss of
stagnation pressure across a normal shock wave.

6)
a) A normal shock wave spans the duct conveying dry air shown in Fig. Q6. A Pitot tube is situated
downstream of the shock wave and a pressure transducer is used to measure the difference in pressure between
the Pitot tube and a pressure tapping just downstream of the shock wave. This pressure difference is 0.3 bars
and the static pressure upstream of the shock wave is 0.2632 bars absolute.
(i) Show that the Mach number upstream of the shock wave is 2.0.
(ii) Calculate the loss of stagnation pressure across the shock wave.
It may be assumed that, across the shock wave,

M2 =
2 2 + ( − 1) M 1
2
p2 2  M 1
=
2

−
( − 1)
2  M 1 − ( − 1)
2
p1 ( + 1) ( + 1)
For isentropic flow,
 /( −1)
p0    − 1  2 
= 1+  M 
p   2 
where the subscript 0 indicates a stagnation condition.

b) Describe the effect on the transducer measurement of moving the Pitot tube along the centerline of the duct.
Shock wave
Pitot tube

M1 M2

P1 P2

Pressure transducer

Fig Q6

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