Three-Dimensional Shock Wave Detection Based on the Theory of Characteristics

This paper describes a method to detect three-dimensional, steady inviscid shock waves from computational fluid dynamics data. The method is based on the principle that the collision of the characteristics of the same family causes the generation of a shock wave in a two-dimensional flow. In a three-dimensional flowfield, however, there is an infinite number of characteristics. Therefore, the plane on which the streamline can be treated locally as a planar curve is introduced, and the characteristic as an intersection between the Mach cone and this plane is defined. As a result, the shock waves in a three-dimensional, steady flowfield can be treated by a similar methodology as that in a two-dimensional flowfleld.