Shock-Boundary Layer Interaction in a Cornered Geometry

The project, falling under the Fluid Dynamics and Aerodynamics research area, involves the study of the shock-boundary layer interaction for supersonic flows in a cornered geometry.

While the effect of a shock on the boundary layer, and the associated separation, has been extensively studied for a planar surface, the processes governing the equivalent at a corner are not well understood. The project would initially involve measuring and characterising the boundary layer which exists at a corner. The complex interplay of physical processes when a shock is introduced to this system can then be studied using methods such as laser Doppler velocimetry and particle image velocimetry. Understanding this behaviour is considered to be of significant interest, both in terms of enhancing our description of fluid flows and for applications in supersonic aircraft, making this an exciting field of study within aerodynamics.