Embedded Files
Shock Waves and Schlieren Imaging
Shock Waves and Schlieren Imaging
During my time at Illinois Tech, I had the opportunity to acquire some time using a supersonic wind tunnel. The main two objectives were to gain experience with visualizing density effects using schlieren imaging, along with confirming shock angle theory. In the image on the left, you can see how we were able to simply use a razor blade in the path of our test section's reflection to obtain a schlieren view on the camera.
Oblique Shock Waves
Oblique Shock Waves
In this photo, you can see a snapshot in time where the tunnel was fitted with a simple wedge. The wedge in the test section causes oblique shock waves to form, and the angle of the shocks is what can inform us of the Mach number of the flow in the tunnel.
run 2.mp4Oblique Shock Wave Video
Oblique Shock Wave Video
In this short video, you can easily see how, as the tunnel is turned on, the flow causes shocks not only on the wedge but also on the tunnel’s walls. If you watch until the end, you can observe that as the main valve to the tunnel is slowly shut off, the shock angles reduce along with the speed of the flow.
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse