Three-dimensional simulation of oblique detonation waves attached to cone

The numerical simulation of supersonic flow over a cone is carried out to investigate oblique detonation waves. A three-dimensional (3D) conical oblique detonation wave is studied by changing the heat release. It is found that the formation of a conical oblique detonation wave shifts from a moderate transition to an abrupt transition and the frontal structure also changes from smooth to cellular features. Moreover, the conical oblique detonation wave approaches detachment as heat release increases. A comparison of oblique detonation waves attached to a 2D wedge and a 3D cone demonstrates that, for a fixed heat release, a cone is able to moderate the transition significantly, and that detaching behavior is also delayed significantly due to curvature as heat release changes. The critical heat release for detachment of the conical oblique detonation wave is much larger than that of the wedge-induced oblique detonation wave. Moreover, we assess the difference in angles of oblique detonation waves produced by wedges and cones and find that the angle is much smaller than that of wedge-induced oblique detonation wave because of flow divergence caused by the curvature (curved front in the circumference direction of the cone).