Mean Flow Characterization of Swept Shock/Boundary Layer Interactions: Isolating the Influence of Sweep

Oil flow visualization and IR thermography are applied to investigate the mean flow structure of swept impinging oblique shock/boundary layer interactions. The incoming boundary layer is turbulent with M_∞ = 2.3. Sweep angles of 10°, 20°, 30° and 40° are considered with deflection angles adjusted to achieve the same in viscid pressure coefficient rise oriented normal to the impinging shock in an attempt to isolate the influence of sweep. The Stanton number, derived from IR the mography, provides a global view of the position and strength of various flow features. The overlap of Stanton number data with oil flow visualization serves to validate the findings and supplement the analysis. The findings indicate a perceived reduction in interaction strength with an increase in sweep angle despite the matching pressure rise normal to the shock. Various details of the flow field and its measurement with oil flow and IR thermography are discussed.