Investigation of a ‘transonic resonance’ with convergent–divergent nozzles

Experimental studies have shown that convergent–divergent nozzles, when run at low pressure ratios, often undergo a flow resonance accompanied by emission of acoustic tones. The phenomenon, different in characteristics from conventional ‘screech’ tones, is addressed in this paper. Unlike screech, the resonant frequency (fN) increases with increasing supply pressure. There is a ‘staging’ behaviour; odd-harmonic stages resonate at lower pressures while the fundamental occurs in a wide range of higher pressures corresponding to a ‘fully expanded Mach number’ (Mj) around unity. Within a stage, fN varies approximately linearly with Mj; the slope of the variation steepens when the angle of divergence of the nozzle is decreased. Based on the data, correlation equations are provided for the prediction of fN. A companion computational study captures the phenomenon and predicts the frequencies, including the stage jump, quite well. While the underlying mechanisms are not completely understood yet, it is clear that the unsteadiness of a shock occurring within the divergent section plays a direct role. The shock drives the flow downstream like a vibrating diaphragm, and resonance takes place similarly to the (no-flow) acoustic resonance of a conical section having one end closed and the other end open. Thus, the fundamental is accompanied by a standing one-quarter wave within the divergent section, the next stage by a standing three-quarter wave, and so on. The distance from the foot of the shock to the nozzle exit imposes the pertinent length scale. The principal trends in the frequency variation are explained qualitatively from the characteristic variation of that length scale. A striking feature is that tripping of the nozzle's internal boundary layer tends to suppress the resonance. It is likely that the trip effect occurs due to a break in the azimuthal coherence of the unsteady flow.