EXPLORATORY INVESTIGATION OF FLOW IN THE SEPARATED REGION AHEAD OF TWO BLUNT BODIES AT MACH NUMBER 2

Flow separation from a flat plate ahead of two blunt two-dimensional bodies was investigated in detail at Mach number 2.0. Interferograms were obtained for the separated regions, and the pitot-pressure distribution and flow directions were surveyed in one of the regions. Mach numbers calculated from density and pitot-pressure data were generally less than 0.5 in the reverse-flow regions near the plate * surface. A flow-direction survey for a model with separation at the leading edge of the flat plate showed a reverse-flow component in about half the separated region. Static pressures along the plate surface and over the blunt body were sensitive to small disturbances and small changes in stream conditions