Control of Shock Wave Turbulent Boundary Layer Interaction using Structurally Constrained Active Surface Morphing

A turbulent shock wave boundary layer interaction (SWBLI) is simulated by performing large eddy simulations (LES) in order to reduce the flow separation by means of an active surface morphing technique, anticipating mitigation of the characteristic low-frequency unsteadiness. The flow is at Mach M = 2.7 and Reynolds number based on inflow boundary layer thickness Reδin = 54600. The incident oblique shock is strong enough (p3/p1 = 3) to engender flow separation, in the time-averaged sense, giving rise to structurally detrimental low-frequency unsteadiness. The control surface is placed at the shock impingement location, and it is deformed by following the flow separation above the surface. The surface morphing is constrained to a structural failure analysis on the fly, ensuring realizability of the surface deformation. The active surface morphing control of the SWBLI results in ≈ 50% reduction of the flow separation region, in the mean sense; while mitigating, to some degree, the low-frequency unsteadiness.