SPH simulation of oblique shocks in compressible flows

The Lagrangian smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) method is used to simulate shock waves in inviscid, supersonic (compressible) flow. It is shown for the first time that the fully Lagrangian SPH particle method, without auxiliary grid, can be used to simulate shock waves in compressible flow. The wall boundary condition is treated with ghost particles combined with a suitable repulsive potential function, whilst corners are treated by a novel ‘angle sweep’ technique. The method gives accurate predictions of the flow field and of the shock angle as compared with the analytical solution. The study shows that SPH is a good potential candidate to solve complex aerodynamic problems, including those involving rarefied flows, such as atmospheric re‐entry. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.