Computations of Turbulent Flow over a Sharp Fin at Mach 5

Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes simulations were carried out for sharp fin-induced shock wave/turbulent boundary-layer interactions at Mach 5. Calculations were executed for two fin angles of attack, with each case employing four turbulence models. The computational results were compared with vetted experimental data. For all the cases considered, the calculations replicated the experimentally observed flow structure, which is primarily determined by inviscid, rotational flow effects. Predictions of parameters dominated by viscous effects tended to be less accurate. The predictions of the different turbulence models were qualitatively consistent, but the predicted peak skin friction and wall heat flux varied by as much as a factor of two between the models. The discrepancies between computation and experiment are believed to be a result of large-scale unsteadiness and three dimensionality, which are not captured well by conventional turbulence models.