Investigations on the complex flows induced by dual-swept/dual-ramp wedges in supersonic flows

The caret inlet with a dual-swept/dual-ramp configuration has excellent stealth performance and aerodynamic capability. Most previous investigations on this configuration have focused on experiments and numerical simulations but there are relatively few theoretical investigations. In this study, the flow field characteristics of dual-swept/dual-ramp configuration are investigated analytically and numerically. An analytical approach that combines the shock dynamics with a “spatial dimension reduction” was used to analyze the characteristics of the wave structures and state parameters of the flow field. The effects of the sweep angles and inflow Mach number on the flow field characteristics are investigated. The results indicate that the problem of shock/shock interaction in two intersecting wedges of large back-swept angle is a problem of weak shock interaction. Therefore, the theory of weak shock interaction is used to investigate the flow field characteristics, including the uniformity of the flow field and the total pressure recovery performance.