Fluid-thermal-structural interactions in ramp-induced shock-wave/boundary-layer interactions at mach 6

Experiments were conducted to study the fluid-thermal-structural interactions of a compliant panel exposed to ramp-induced shock-wave/boundary-layer interactions (SWBLIs) at Mach 6 for laminar and transitional incoming boundary-layers. For some cases, boundary-layer trips were introduced to generate a turbulent boundary layer over half of the interrogation area. Infrared thermography was used to measure the variations in surface temperature on a compliant panel embedded in a rigid ramp. A plenum box was designed to enable the control of the back pressure behind the compliant panel. High-frequency pressure transducers measured the mean and fluctuating static pressure inside the cavity. Simultaneous temperature and pressure measurements enabled the analysis of the thermal and vibratory response of the compliant panel when subjected to SWBLIs for multiple ramp angles. The thermography also revealed an unexpected low temperature region visible on the panel at high ramp angles and Reynolds Numbers. A spanwise-nonuniform boundary layer generated by upstream trips resulted in the excitation of different modes on the panel. A study on the effects of the pressure difference on the panel natural frequencies revealed that the modes are diversely affected at low pressure differentials.