Three-dimensional wavefront modeling of secondary sonic booms

There is an abundance of previous work in the literature regarding the Mach cone of a supersonic vehicle and its associated ground intercepts identifying where and when the primary sonic boom reaches the ground. Likewise, there is excellent past research that models where the secondary sonic boom reaches the ground due to the reflection and refraction of the sonic boom emanating from above and below a supersonic vehicle. This work will provide a bridge between the two aforementioned aspects of past research. The Mach cone for both above the aircraft and below the aircraft after it reaches the ground will be extended to model the three-dimensional wavefront evolution of the secondary sonic boom as it propagates to the ground. The secondary sonic boom wavefronts modeled in this work will only consist of rays that refract in the vicinity of the stratosphere. The present work will show several cases of the secondary sonic boom wavefront propagation in three dimensions for a variety of aircraft headings and geographic locations around the world with representative upper air temperature and wind conditions.