Passive control of 3D adaptive shock control bumps using a sealed cavity

This paper presents a Fluid–Structure-Interaction study of a novel passive adaptive shock control bump concept. A flexible plate, clamped on all sides and placed above a sealed cavity, was tested beneath a Mach 1.4 normal shock in the Imperial College London supersonic wind tunnel. The plate was actuated into the shape of a 3D shock control bump by passively controlling the cavity pressure through an array of breather holes. Preliminary experiments were performed with active control of cavity pressure (via a vacuum tank) at Mach 1.4 and 2 to illustrate the potential of this concept. Full-field surface measurement techniques, namely photogrammetry and pressure sensitive paint, were employed in addition to static pressure tappings and schlieren photography. Results confirmed that cavity pressure plays a key role in determining the aerostructural behaviour of the flexible plate. In addition, it was found that carefully placed breather holes allowed the plate to deform into a 3D shock control bump when a shock was on the flexible region and remain flat otherwise. This shows significant potential for improving the off-design behaviour of adaptive shock control bumps.