Three-dimensional shock wave reflection over a corner of two intersecting wedges

This paper presents an experimental and numerical investigation of three-dimensional shock wave reflections over a corner of two wedges intersecting perpendicularly in a shock tube. Experiments were conducted in a diaphragmless shock tube equipped with double-exposure diffuse holographic interferometry in which the time interval between the first and second exposure was set to be . This arrangement clearly visualized complex configurations of three-dimensional shock wave reflections. A numerical study was also carried out for interpreting these holographic interferometric observations by using the Weighted Average Flux (WAF) method to solve the three-dimensional unsteady compressible Euler equations. It was found that along the line of the intersection of these two wedges, two Mach stems intersected each other resulting in the formation of a Mach stem which leaned forward. Received 30 June 1996 / Accepted 6 October 1996