Numerical modeling of three-dimensional vortex structures in hypersonic transverse flow past a cylinder

A new mechanism of the formation of spatially periodic structures on the nose surfaces of cylindrically blunted bodies in a hypersonic transverse flow is investigated. According to this mechanism, a curved shock wave produces a vortex flow, while the vortex, which is conserved in the presence of weak dissipation, acts on the shock and maintains its curved shape. The realizability of this vortex formation mechanism is verified by direct numerical simulation using the FLUENT software package. It is confirmed that in the case of uniform hypersonic freestream both plane and three-dimensional modes of the steady flow past the cylinder nose can exist. The three-dimensional mode is characterized by periodic-in-span vortex structures and considerable heat flux peaks on the nose surface. The calculated results are compared with the experimental data.