Question

Under which condition do we get the detached shock wave on a cone?

(a) θc = θcmax

(b) θc > θcmax

(c) θc = 0

(d) θc = infinty

I had been asked this question by my college professor while I was bunking the class.

Question is taken from Physical Aspects of Supersonic Flow over Cones in section Linearized and Conical Flows of Aerodynamics

Answer 1

Correct choice is (b) θc > θcmax

The best explanation: For a given freestream Mach number M∞, there exists a maximum cone angle for which if we go beyond that value, the shock wave originating at the cone’s vertex gets detached. Thus, the condition for detached shock wave is θc > θcmax.