Simulation of blast wave propagation over a cylinder

A numerical study of the interaction of plane blast waves with a cylinder is presented. Computations are carried out for various blast-wave durations and comparisons are obtained with the corresponding results of planar shock-wave. Both inviscid and viscous results based on the solution of the Euler and Navier-Stokes equations are presented. The equations are solved by an adaptive-grid method and a second-order Godunov scheme. The shock wave diffraction over the cylinder is investigated by means of various contour plots, as well as, pressure and skin-friction histories. The study reveals that the blast-wave duration significantly influences the unsteady flow over the cylinder. The differences between the viscous and inviscid results are also discussed. Received 2 March 1996 / Accepted 28 February 1997