CFD ANALYSIS OF SHOCK WAVE CHARACTERISTICS AROUND A 2D WEDGE AT SUPERSONIC MACH NUMBERS

Abstract

Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) has become a powerful tool for analysing compressible flow phenomena associated with high-speed aerodynamic configurations. In this study, the shock wave characteristics and aerodynamic behaviour of a 2D wedge in a supersonic flow are numerically investigated. The analysis considers a wide range of free-stream Mach numbers (1.3–4.8), wedge angles (5°–25°), and angles of attack (0°–20°) to evaluate their influence on shock structure, pressure distribution, aerodynamic force coefficients, and pitching moment derivatives. Numerical simulations were done using ANSYS Fluent by solving compressible Reynolds-Averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) equations with SST k–ω turbulence model. A structured quadrilateral mesh with local refinement near the wedge surface was employed, and grid independence tests were conducted to ensure numerical accuracy. Mesh quality parameters such as skewness and orthogonality were maintained within acceptable limits to ensure solution stability. The numerical predictions of shock angles were validated against classical oblique shock theory, demonstrating good agreement with theoretical values.

The results indicate that increasing Mach number reduces shock angle and shifts it closer to the wedge surface, while simultaneously increasing surface pressure and aerodynamic force coefficients. For a wedge angle of 25° at Mach 4.8, the lift and drag coefficients increase by approximately 26.89 and 17.55 times, respectively, when the angle of attack increases from 5° to 20°. Additionally, the pitching moment derivative increases significantly with Mach number and wedge angle, indicating enhanced longitudinal stability under high-speed conditions. The findings provide important insights into the aerodynamic behavior of wedge-type configurations and contribute to design and optimization of high-speed vehicles such as supersonic missiles, projectiles, and hypersonic aircraft.