Simulation Example: Supersonic Flow over a Blunt Body

Overview

Bow shocks, which are a type of detached shock, are common in supersonic flows over blunt bodies. A bow shock is a combination of both normal and oblique shocks. Depending on its location behind the shock wave, the fluid flow is either subsonic or supersonic. In this simulation example, you will learn about this detached shock as we analyze airflow over a blunt body.

Objectives

In this simulation example, we will use Ansys Fluent to simulate supersonic airflow over a blunt body. The freestream Mach number is 2.5. We will:

• Learn to set-up this supersonic flow problem and simulate a bow shock in front of the body
• Understand the various regions behind the shock wave
• Study the variation of flow properties such as pressure and density in the flow field.

Setup

Download the Mesh file required for setting up the simulation and associated Case and Data files here. Follow the instructions below to set up this simulation in Ansys Fluent starting with the Mesh file. In case you face any issues setting up or running the simulation, refer to the corresponding initial and final Case and Data files.

Alternate video link.

Results and Discussion

Let us now learn about this detached shock and analyze the flow field.