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On the asymmetry of over-expansion flows in planar nozzles

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 August 2025

Siyu Wu Open the ORCID record for Siyu Wu [Opens in a new window] ,
Longsheng Xue Open the ORCID record for Longsheng Xue [Opens in a new window] ,
Zhangyu Ma ,
Weijun Li ,
Puchen Hou ,
Yun Jiao ,
Keming Cheng  and
Chengpeng Wang Open the ORCID record for Chengpeng Wang [Opens in a new window]
Siyu Wu
Affiliation:
College of Aerospace Engineering, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Yudao Street 29, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210016, PR China Key Laboratory of Unsteady Aerodynamics and Flow Control, Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Yudao Street 29, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210016, PR China
Longsheng Xue*
Affiliation:
College of Aerospace Engineering, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Yudao Street 29, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210016, PR China Key Laboratory of Unsteady Aerodynamics and Flow Control, Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Yudao Street 29, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210016, PR China
Zhangyu Ma
Affiliation:
College of Aerospace Engineering, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Yudao Street 29, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210016, PR China Key Laboratory of Unsteady Aerodynamics and Flow Control, Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Yudao Street 29, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210016, PR China
Weijun Li
Affiliation:
College of Aerospace Engineering, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Yudao Street 29, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210016, PR China Key Laboratory of Unsteady Aerodynamics and Flow Control, Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Yudao Street 29, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210016, PR China
Puchen Hou
Affiliation:
College of Aerospace Engineering, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Yudao Street 29, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210016, PR China Key Laboratory of Unsteady Aerodynamics and Flow Control, Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Yudao Street 29, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210016, PR China
Yun Jiao
Affiliation:
College of Aerospace Engineering, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Yudao Street 29, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210016, PR China Key Laboratory of Unsteady Aerodynamics and Flow Control, Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Yudao Street 29, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210016, PR China
Keming Cheng
Affiliation:
College of Aerospace Engineering, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Yudao Street 29, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210016, PR China Key Laboratory of Unsteady Aerodynamics and Flow Control, Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Yudao Street 29, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210016, PR China
Chengpeng Wang*
Affiliation:
College of Aerospace Engineering, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Yudao Street 29, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210016, PR China Key Laboratory of Unsteady Aerodynamics and Flow Control, Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Yudao Street 29, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210016, PR China
*
Corresponding authors: Longsheng Xue, xuels@nuaa.edu.cn; Chengpeng Wang, wangcp@nuaa.edu.cn
Corresponding authors: Longsheng Xue, xuels@nuaa.edu.cn; Chengpeng Wang, wangcp@nuaa.edu.cn
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Abstract

Over-expansion flow can generate asymmetric shock wave interactions, which lead to significant lateral forces on a nozzle. However, there is still a lack of a suitable theory to explain the phenomenon of asymmetry. The current work carefully investigates the configurations of shock wave interactions in a planar nozzle, and proposes a theoretical method to analyse the asymmetry of over-expansion flows. First, various possible flow patterns of over-expansion flows are discussed, including regular and Mach reflections. Second, the free interaction theory and the minimum entropy production principle are used to analyse the boundary layer flow and main shock wave interactions, establish the relationship between the separation shock strength and separation position, and predict asymmetric configurations. Finally, experiments are conducted to validate the theoretical method, and similar experiments from other studies are discussed to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method. Results demonstrate that the direction of asymmetric over-expansion flow is random, and the separated flow strives to adopt a pattern with minimal total pressure loss. Asymmetric interaction is a mechanism through which the flow can achieve a more efficient thermodynamic balance by minimising entropy production.

JFM classification

Aerodynamics: Flow-structure interactions Compressible Flows: Shock waves Wakes/Jets: Separated flows

Information

Type
JFM Papers
Information
Journal of Fluid Mechanics , Volume 1016 , 10 August 2025 , A42
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Copyright
© The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press

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