Mechanism of shock unsteadiness in separated shock/boundary-layer interactions

A large-eddy simulation-based study is presented and focuses on different unsteadiness-source features in a Mach 2.3 shock reflection with separation. The sources of unsteadiness are localized and the path taken by disturbance as it spreads out to the whole field is defined. It is shown that the phenomena arising inside the recirculation bubble govern the whole interaction, at both low and intermediate frequencies. Indeed, the shock motion appears to mirror phenomena found in the separated zone. Moreover, features of separated-flow unsteadiness bear some resemblance to those occurring in incompressible flows. An equivalent inviscid scheme of the unsteady interaction is established in order to describe the whole shock-system unsteadiness at low and intermediate frequencies and the downstream unsteady-pressure field.