This paper presents the results of an interferometric study of the shock/boundary-layer interaction at a compression corner. The boundary layer upstream of the corner is a non-equilibrium state having been disturbed by injection through a porous surface. As well as being relevant to the design of transpiration-cooled surfaces, the results show many similarities to the interaction in an adverse pressure gradient. The changes in the nature of the interaction as the approaching profile is distorted is fully explored and the results should provide a useful test case for computational fluid mechanics. The results are also used to evaluate the accuracy of interferometric techniques.

A symmetric Mach 12·76 hypersonic flow in a 90° corner, formed by 30° swept back intersecting 8° wedges, was investigated in detail through numerical simulation using locally conical Navier-Stokes equations. Three different numerical schemes for spatial discretisation, MacCormack central differencing, van Leer’s flux vector splitting and Osher’s flux difference splitting, were studied to compare their capabilities to capture both strong shock waves and thin shear layers. Comparison with experimental data was made to validate the simulation. The numerical simulation provided further insight into the flowfield and a pair of counter-rotating vortices were discovered near the junction of the corner.

A new free-wake aerodynamic model of a rotor hovering in ground effect is briefly presented. The numerical characteristics of the model are investigated. The convergence between consecutive iterations and convergence with respect to different parameters that define the model, are presented and discussed. The model is then validated by comparing the numerical results with existing experimental data. Very good agreement of the thrust coefficient is obtained, whereas discrepancies in the torque coefficients are discussed. At the end of the paper the capabilities of the model are shown by considering various aspects of the ground effect.