Loss of axial symmetry in hypersonic flows over conical shapes

Abstract

The assumption of axial symmetry for hypersonic flows over conically shaped geometries is ubiquitous in both experiments and numerical simulations. Yet depending on the free stream conditions, many of these flows are unsteady and their transition from laminar to turbulent is a three-dimensional phenomenon. Combining triple-deck theory/linear stability analysis with the kinetic direct simulation Monte Carlo method, we analyze the azimuthal eigenmodes of flows over single- and double-cone configurations. For Mach 16 flows, we find that the strongest amplification rate occurs for the non-axisymmetric azimuthal wave number of n=1. This occurs in regions quite close to the tip of the cone due to the proximity of the conical shock to the viscous shear layer where non-axisymmetric modes are amplified through linear mechanisms. Comparison of triple-deck linear stability predictions shows that in addition to the azimuthal wave number, both the temporal content and amplification rate of these non-axisymmetric disturbances agree well with the time-accurate DSMC flowfield. In addition to the loss of axial symmetry observed at the conical shock, the effect of axial symmetry assumptions on the more complex shock-shock and shock-boundary layer interactions of a flow over a double cone is- considered. The results for the separation region show that axisymmetric and three-dimensional simulations differ in almost all of the main flow structures. Three-dimensional flowfields result in a smaller separation bubble with weaker shocks and threedimensional effects were manifest in the variation in surface parameters in the azimuthal direction as well. Interestingly, the DSMC simulations show that the loss of axial symmetry in the separation region begins near the cone tip.