PIV Experimental and Numerical Investigation of Supersonic Inlet and Isolator

The isolator combined with supersonic inlet was experimentally and numerically studied. The experiment was focused on the Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) measurement of 2-D isolator flowfield under different backpressure and on the unsteadiness of the flowfield structure under the certain and different backpressure. PIV data were acquired along the whole flowfield, including the isolator and the inlet. It was shown that the shock train swung up and down at the tail part of the isolator along with the time, which was well known as the “shock wave switch”, and the shape, the size and the position of the shock train generated at the isolator was changed from time to time under the certain as well as the different backpressures. Furthermore, the experimental result was compared with CFD simulation in order to study flow field in more detail, especially the distribution of the velocity vector, the location and the size of the boundary layer separation at up and bottom wall of the isolator. The flow structure inferred from the PIV data agreed well with the flow structure obtained from numerical simulation. And more important and useful information had been obtained.