ME 355: Compressible Flows, Spring 2016
Stanford University
Midterm Exam
Tuesday, May 10
Guidelines: Please turn in neat and clean exam solutions that give all the formulae that you have
used as well as details that are required for the grader to understand your solution. Attach these
sheets to your solutions. Assume γ = 1.4 and cp = 1.0 KJ/KgK for all problems.
Student’s Name:.......................................................... Student’s ID:.............................
PART I: Closed books, closed notes, calculators allowed
Time: 20 mins
Questions (30 pts)
1. Explain what is supersonic wave drag and how it differs from viscous drag.
2. The stagnation temperature upstream from a normal shock wave at Ma1 = 1.5 is T01 = 335 K. The
static pressure downstream is P2 = 3 bar. What is the stagnation enthalpy downstream h02 ?
3. A Machmeter for a supersonic aircraft consists of a very long central duct connected to a manometer
that measures the post-shock stagnation pressure P02 , along with a lateral probe far away from the
tube nose that measures the static pressure PX at that position X (see fig. below). Based on those
two quantities, how would you compute the Mach number of the free stream Ma1 ?
WEAK SHOCK
!
1
β ∼ arctan p
Ma1 2 − 1
BOW SHOCK
PX
Ma1 X
P02
ME 355: Compressible Flows, Spring 2016
Stanford University
Midterm Exam
Tuesday, May 10
Guidelines: Please turn in neat and clean exam solutions that give all the formulae that you have
used as well as details that are required for the grader to understand your solution. Attach these
sheets to your solutions. Assume γ = 1.4 and cp = 1.0 KJ/KgK for all problems.
Student’s Name:.......................................................... Student’s ID:.............................
PART II: Open books, open notes, calculators allowed
Time: 60 mins
Problem 1 (60 pts)
A supersonic stream at Ma1 = 4.0 flows parallel to a wall and encounters a geometrical disturbance of
type A or B, as depicted below. Type A is an indentation and type B is a protrusion, both having the
same deflection angle α = 20◦ . Determine which configuration (type A or type B) yields
a) the maximum decrease in static pressure, (P1 − P∞ )/P1
b) the maximum decrease in stagnation pressure, (P01 − P0∞ )/P01
c) the maximum exit Mach number, Ma∞
d) the minimum entropy increase, (s∞ − s1 )/cv
Ma1 Ma∞
α α
TYPE A
Ma1 Ma∞
α α
TYPE B
Stanford University
Problem 2 (10 pts)
Shock tubes are typically used for studies of combustion chemical kinetics. In a shock tube, a
diaphragm separates high pressure inert gas from a lower-pressure, flammable gas mixture at temper-
ature T1 = 300K and pressure P1 = 0.1 bar. At t = 0, the diaphragm is ruptured and the over-pressure
created by the inert gas produces a shock wave that propagates at Ma1 = 2 into the reacting gaseous
mixture at rest. The reflection of the shock wave plays an important role in the ignition of the re-
actants. In the first approximation, however, neglect the combustion chemical processes in the shock
tube.
diaphragm rupture
high−pressure inert gas low−pressure flammable gas
end wall
shock
a) Compute the pressure P2 and temperature T2 of the flammable gas after the shock has passed (see fig.
below).
T2 , P2 T1 , P1
Ma1
moving shock end wall
b) When the moving shock reaches the wall, it is reflected back towards the left leaving the gas at rest
behind, U3 = 0, in accordance with the non-penetration boundary condition at the wall. Calculate
the Mach number of the reflected shock Ma′2 , along with the pressure P3 and temperature T3 of the
gas between the reflected shock and the end wall.
T2 , P2 T3 , P3
U3 = 0
Ma′2
reflected end wall
moving shock
ME 355 Compressible Flows 3
