Velocity measurements of a jet injected into a supersonic crossflow

This paper presents a quantitative, experimental study of a single, sonic, underexpanded, transverse, round jet injected into a Mach 1.6 crossflow. This investigation is applicable to studies of supersonic combustors, thrust vector control of rocket nozzles, the cooling of nozzle walls, and jet reaction force prediction. Schlieren/shadowgraph photography and two-component, frequency preshifted laser Doppler velocimetry are used to visualize the flow and to measure three mean velocity components, five of the six kinematic Reynolds stresses, and turbulent kinetic energy at over 4000 locations throughout the flowfield. The study focuses on the transverse, midline plane and on two crossflow planes. These measurements are used to study the size and orientation of the recirculation regions upstream and downstream of the jet; the structure and strength of the bow shock, barrel shock, and Mach disk; the structure, strength, and development of the kidney-shaped, counter-rotating vortex pair; the growth of the annular shear layer between the jet plume and the crossflow; and the growth of the boundary layer beneath the jet. In addition, the present study provides validation data for analytical and numerical predictions of the transverse jet flowfield.