2.Notesforunit1-5.pptVIP

Mach wave In fluid dynamics, a Mach wave is a pressure wave traveling with the speed of sound caused by a slight change of pressure added to a compressible flow.  Mach stem or Mach front These weak waves can combine in supersonic flow to become a shock wave if sufficient Mach waves are present at any location. Such a shock wave is called a Mach stem or Mach front. Mach angle μ Thus it is possible to have shock less compression or expansion in a supersonic flow by having the production of Mach waves sufficiently spaced (cf. isentropic compression in supersonic flows). A Mach wave is the weak limit of an oblique shock wave (a normal shock is the other limit). They propagate across the flow at the Mach angle μ . where M is the Mach number. Mach waves can be used in schlieren or shadowgraph observations to determine the local Mach number of the flow. Early observations by Ernst Mach used grooves in the wall of a duct to produce Mach waves in a duct, which were then photographed by the schlieren method, to obtain data about the flow in nozzles and ducts. Mach angles may also occasionally be visualized out of their condensation in air, as in the jet photograph below. U.S. Navy F/A-18 breaking the sound barrier. The white halo is formed by condensed water droplets which are thought to result from an increase in air pressure behind the shock wave(see Prandtl-Glauert Singularity). The Mach angle of the weak attached shock made visible by the halo, is seen to be close to arcsine (1) = 90 degrees. Each wave in the expansion fan turns the flow gradually (in small steps). It is physically impossible to turn the flow away from itself through a single shock wave because it will violate the second law of thermodynamics. Across the expansion fan, the flow accelerates (velocity increases) and the Mach number increases, while the static pressure, temperature and density decrease. Since the process is isentropic, the stagnation properties remain constant across the fan. Prandtl-