Shock wave modulation due to discharged plasma using a shock tube

Abstract

The interaction phenomenon between shock waves and the DC-discharged plasma was experimentally investigated to aid future supersonic aerodynamic performance improvements. A shock tube was used to generate the shock wave. For the discharged plasma generation, a wedge type test model with electrodes (anode and cathode) connected to the power supply system was installed into the shock tube measurement section. The nominal shock wave Mach number in the experiment was 2.0. The plasma input power range was from 0 W to 35.7 W, where 0 W corresponded to the no discharge case. Schlieren photography was used for visualization, and the pressure histories were measured. From the visualization, due to the interaction with the discharged plasma, shock wave modulation with curvature was observed. However, from the pressure measurement, pressure histories in a plane parallel to the shock wave were nearly identical between the side-wall and the top-wall, despite the shock wave modulation. From these results―obtained from visualization and pressure measurement, the shock wave modulation observed in this study had a three-dimensional (3D) structure. In order to comprehend this phenomenon, a 3D simulation with a simple modulated temperature field was conducted. The simulation results also indicated 3D shock wave modulation. Therefore, experiment and simulation both support the 3D structure of the modulated shock wave due to the interaction with the discharged plasma.