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EXPANSION WAVES: Prandtl Meyer flow

7.1 introduction
The discussion given in chapter 5 and 6 was concerned with waves that involved an increase in
pressure, with shock waves. In this chapter, attention will be given to the types of waves that
are generated when there is a decrease in pressure. For example, the type of wave that is
generated when a supersonic flow passes over a convex corner and the type of wave that is
generated when the end of a duct containing a gas at a pressure that is higher than that in the
surrounding air is suddenly opened will be discussed in this chapter. These two situations are
illustrated in fig. 7.1.
Steady supersonic flows around convex corners will first be addressed in this chapter.
Attention will then be given to unsteady flows.
7.2 Prandtl Meyer Flow
In the preceding chapter, supersonic flow over a concave corner, a corner involving a positive
angular change in flow direction, was considered. It was indicated there that the flow over
such a corner was associated with an oblique shock wave, this shock wave originating from the
corner when it is sharp. Consider, now, the flow around a convex corner as shown in fig. 7.2.
To determine whether an oblique shock wave also occurs in this case, it is assumed that it does
occur, a sharp corner being considered for simplicity as shown in fig. 7.2.




Consider the velocity components indicated in fig. 7.2. For the reasons given in the previous
chapter,

and since

must be parallel to the downstream wall, geometrical


considerations show that

. But

and

must be related by the normal shock wave


relations and in dealing with normal shock waves, it was shown that an expansive shock was
not possible since it would violate the second law of thermodynamics. It is, therefore, not
possible for

to be greater than

and the flow over a convex corner cannot, therefore,


take place through an oblique shock.
In order to understand the actual flow that occurs when a supersonic flow passes about a
convex corner, consider what happens, in general, when the flow is turned through a
differentially small angle, , this producing differentially small changes , and in the
pressure, density, and temperature respectively. The present analysis applies whether is
positive or negative, whether the corner is concave or convex, the changes through the
differentially weak Mach wave produced being isentropic (see later). By the reasoning
previously given, the velocity component parallel to the wave, L, is unchanged by the wave.
Hence, considering unit area of the wave, shown in fig. 7.3, the equations of continuity and
momentum give:
FIGURE 7.1(flows involving a pressure
decrease)
Figure 7.2(assumed flow around
convex corner)
= (
i.e. -------------- (7.1)
Higher order terms having been neglected, and
[ ]
i.e., --------------- (7.2)

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