Establishment Times of Hypersonic Shock-Wave/Boundary-Layer Interactions in Intermittent Facilities

This study examines establishment times of shock-wave/boundary-layer interactions across a range of interaction types and intermittent facilities. Successful design of a test article for a short-duration facility is difficult, especially when trying to guarantee establishment of the flow. Although this study does not detail the design methodologies of a test article, it does aim to provide better understanding of establishment metrics and predictive methods that have emerged from other studies in order to help in the design and assessment of experiments. Experimental and numerical data were taken at Mach 8.9 on an axisymmetric blunt-nosed body with an 8 similar to flare and laminar boundary layer. It was shown that the global applicability of any single metric was poor; hence, an establishment criteria was developed for this study that provided a more global metric of establishment. Furthermore, a framework was provided for when the use of existing establishment metrics was appropriate.