Model and magnetic configuration effect on shock layer enhancement by an applied magnetic field

The combined effect of the model configuration and the magnetic field configuration on shock layer enhancement phenomena attributable to the applied magnetic field was investigated experimentally. For this study, two test models were used. One was a flat-faced model with a cylindrical permanent magnet. The other was a spherical blunt model with a spherical permanent magnet. The translational temperature distributions ahead of the two test models (i.e., the shock layer region) were measured using laser absorption spectroscopy. Comparison of the results obtained using the two test model cases showed that the shock layer enhancement caused by the applied magnetic field was greater for the spherical blunt model than for the flat-faced model. That experimental result qualitatively agrees with the computational fluid dynamics results, which suggest that the combined effect of the magnetic configuration and stream line (i.e., the model configuration) play key roles in shock layer enhancement phenomena.