A PIV study of a supersonic impinging jet

The characteristics of supersonic impinging jets are investigated using Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV). The purpose of the experiments is to understand the jet induced forces on STOVL aircraft while hovering close to the ground. For this purpose, a large diameter circular plate was attached at the nozzle exit. The oscillations of the impinging jet generated due to a feedback loop are captured in the PIV images. The instantaneous velocity field measurements are used to describe flow characteristics of the impinging jet. The important flow features such as oscillating shock waves, slipstream shear layers and large scale structures are captured clearly by the PIV. The presence of large scale structures in the impinging jet induced high entrainment velocity in the near hydrodynamic field, which resulted in lift plate suction pressures. A passive control device is used to interfere with the acoustic waves travelling in the ambient medium to suppress the feedback loop. As a consequence, the large scale vortical structures disappeared completely leading to a corresponding reduction in the entrainment.