Investigation of Mach number effects on flow over a flat plate at Reynolds number of 1.0 × 10⁴ by schlieren visualization

Abstract

Flow over a flat plate with a 5% thickness ratio is investigated by schlieren visualization in compressible low-Reynolds-number conditions. The results show that flow separates at the leading-edge and laminar separation-bubble forms. The position of the maximum root mean square of the schlieren image which is related to the position of the vortex shedding moves downstream as a Mach number increases. Furthermore, the two-dimensional structure of generated vortices is maintained up to the trailing edge at the Mach number of 0.66. The frequency analysis of the time-series intensity value of the schlieren images also shows that the flow is stabilized with increasing the Mach number. The position of the end of the pressure plateau region matches the position where the root-mean-square value of the intensity image becomes a maximum due to vortex shedding.