Parametric study of the Hartmann–Sprenger tube

Experiments were conducted with a Hartmann–Sprenger tube (H–S) to study the effect of different parameters on the frequency and amplitude of acoustic fluctuations excited when the H–S underexpanded jet impinges on an in-line cavity. Time averaged shadowgraphs were acquired to study the flow field between the underexpanded jet and the cavity for varying parameters of the H–S tube. It was observed that the H–S tube primarily excited two different modes. The first mode corresponds to the jet regurgitant mode (JRG) where the frequency of oscillations scales as a function of the cavity depth. The other mode is screech where an oscillating shock is formed in front of the cavity. The screech mode excites a higher acoustic frequency than the JRG and it is observed to be a strong function of the pressure ratio R, and distance between the jet and the cavity X. At a fixed cavity length, varying standoff distance X could excite either the JRG or screech. At very low standoff distances (X/D_j<0.8), the current study indicates that there is a mode switch from screech to JRG. A cavity to jet diameter, D_c/D_j>1 was found to sustain JRG over a wide range of X. Diameter ratios D_c/D_j<1 sustained high frequency screech modes in a wide range of H–S tube parameters.