FALL 2015

MIDDLE EAST TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
ME 411 GAS DYNAMICS
HOMEWORK 3
1. Air which is moving at a velocity of 480 m/s undergoes a normal shock wave. The pressure
and the temperature of the air at the upstream of the normal shock wave are 55 kPa and 260
K, respectively. Determine
a) the temperature and the pressure after the normal shock wave,
b) the stagnation temperature and pressure after the normal shock wave and
c) the velocity after the normal shock wave.
(Ans. a) 341.6 K, 133.3 kPa, b) 375.5 K, 185.6 kPa, c) 261.1 m/s)

2.

An air stream moving at a Mach number of 2.0 undergoes a normal shock wave. The
pressure and the temperature before the normal shock wave are 78 kPa and 263 K,
respectively. Determine
a) the temperature and the pressure after the normal shock wave,
b) the stagnation temperature and pressure after the normal shock wave and
c) the downstream velocity.
(Ans. a) 443.7 K, 351 kPa, b) 473.5 K, 440.8 kPa, c) 243.8 m/s)

3.

An air stream, which is traveling at a Mach number of 1.8, undergoes a normal shock wave.
The stagnation pressure and temperature before the normal shock wave are 150 kPa and
350 K, respectively. Determine
a) the temperature and the pressure after the normal shock wave,
b) the Mach number and the velocity after the normal shock wave and
c) the stagnation temperature and pressure after the shock wave and
d) the entropy change across the normal shock wave.
(Ans. a) 325.4 K, 94.3 kPa, b) 0.6165, 223 m/s, c) 350 K, 122.2 kPa, d) 59.55 J/kgK)

4.

A supersonic air stream, which enters into a diverging duct, is slowed down by means of a
normal shock wave, as shown in the figure. The Mach number at the inlet and exit of the
1

duct are 2.0 and 0.6, respectively. The ratio of the exit to inlet cross-sectional area is 1.5.
If the pressure at the inlet of the duct is 40 kPa, determine
a) the pressure after the normal shock wave and
b) the pressure at the exit of the duct.
(Ans. a) 122.7 kPa, b) 114.8 kPa)

Mi = 2
pi = 40 kPa

Me = 0.6

i
Normal shock wave

5.

A nonperfect gas flow through a stationary normal shock wave, as shown in the figure.
Using the basic conservation laws, show that

h y hx

x y
( p y px )
2 x y
Normal shock wave

x
hx

y
Vx

Vy

px

hy
py

x y

6.

An explosion occurs which produces a normal shock wave that propagates at a speed 0f
600 m/s into still air. The pressure and temperature of the motionless air in front of the
shock are 101.3 kPa and 200C, respectively. Determine the static and stagnation conditions
present in the air after the passage of the wave, as well as the gas velocity behind the wave.
(Ans. 344.5 kPa, 437.6 K; 526.5 kPa, 494 K; 336.4 m/s)
2

7.

A piston in a tube is suddenly accelerated to a velocity of 50 m/s, which causes a normal

shock wave to move into the stationary air in the tube. One second later, the piston is
suddenly accelerated from 50 m/s to 100 m/s, which causes a second normal shock wave
to move down the tube. The initial temperature of the air is 300 K.
a) Determine the velocity of the first and the second normal shock wave.
b) How much time will elapse from the initial acceleration of the piston to the
intersection of the two shocks?
(Ans. a) 378.6 m/s, 438.7 m/s, b) 6.468 s)

8.

Air at a pressure of 100 kPa and a temperature of 290 K is flowing in a constant area tube
at a velocity of 100 m/s. Suddenly, the end of the tube is closed so that a normal shock
wave propagates back through the air stream. Determine the absolute velocity of the normal
shock wave.
(Ans. 306.6 m/s)

9.

A normal shock wave travels at a velocity of 1000 m/s into still air with a temperature of
275 K and a pressure of 100 kPa and reflects back from a plane wall. Determine
a) Determine the velocity of the reflected normal shock wave.
b) the pressure ratio across the incident normal shock wave.
c) the pressure ratio across the reflected normal shock wave and
d) the stagnation pressure and temperature behind the reflected normal shock wave.
(Ans. a) 407.3 m/s; b) 10.40; c) 5.027; d) 6469 kPa, 1400 K)

10. A normal shock wave moves down a shock tube at a velocity of 700 m/s into the air with
a pressure of 150 kPa and a temperature of 350 K. At the end of the tube, a piston is moving
in the opposite direction at a velocity of 50 m/s. Determine
a) the velocity of the reflected normal shock wave, and
b) the pressure and the temperature behind the reflected normal shock wave.
(Ans. a) 425 m/s, b) 2244 kPa, 873.9 K)
11. A supersonic wind tunnel is to be constructed with air at the atmospheric pressure passing
through a converging-diverging nozzle into a constant area test section and then into a large
vacuum tank. The test run is started with a pressure of 0 kPa in the tank. How long can

uniform flow conditions are maintained in the test section? Assume test section to be
circular, with a diameter of 0.1 m and with a design Mach number of 2.4. The tank volume
is 3 m3 with atmospheric conditions of 101 kPa and 20C. Assume that the air is brought
to rest adiabatically in the tank. (METU 1991) (Ans. 2.073 s)

12. A supersonic wind tunnel, which is shown in the figure, is fed from a large tank. The air is
discharged to the atmosphere. The Mach number in the test section is 2.65. A normal shock
wave stands at the exit of the wind tunnel. The pressure at section 3 immediately behind
the normal shock wave is 100 kPa. The flow is isentropic except through the normal shock
wave.
a) Determine p0, p1, p2 and M3.
b) If a Pitot tube is placed in the exit jet, then calculate the pressure measured by the
Pitot tube.
(METU 1985) (Ans. a) 268.6 kPa, 141.9 kPa, 12.46 kPa, 0.4996, b)118.6 kPa)
2

Exit jet

Pitot tube

13. A supersonic wind tunnel is designed for obtaining supersonic flow in the test section.
However, during the start-up of the wind tunnel, a normal shock wave stands in the
diverging section of the nozzle. At the upstream of this normal shock wave, the Mach
number and the pressure are 1.3 and 50 kPa, respectively. The cross-sectional area of the
nozzle throat is 0.01 m2. The temperature at the test section with a cross-sectional area of
0.02 m2 is found to be 10C. Determine
a) the mass flow rate and
b) the minimum possible value of the diffuser throat area for the same mass flow rate.
(METU 1986) (Ans. a) 3.267 kg/s, b) 0.01021 m2)

14. In a supersonic wind tunnel, which is shown in the figure, losses are only due to the shock
waves which may be present in the tunnel. Reservoirs 1 and 2 are at the stagnation
4

conditions. The operating Mach number in the test section is 1.7. Diffuser throat crosssectional area is 1.25 times the nozzle throat cross-sectional area.
a) Find the pressure ratio between the reservoirs for starting.
b) Calculate the pressure ratio between the reservoirs at the best operating
condition.
c) What would be the maximum Mach number that could be obtained by changing
the test section area only? What would be the ratio of the nozzle throat cross-sectional
area to the test cross-sectional area in this case?
(METU 1991) (Ans. a) 0.8587, b) 0.8952, c) 1.83, 1.472)

Reservoir 1

Reservoir 2
nt

dt

Nozzle

Test section

Diffuser

15. A fixed geometry supersonic inlet, which is shown in the figure, is designed for an aircraft
velocity of 1200 m/s at the atmospheric conditions of 25 kPa and 224.5 K. The air velocity
at cross-section 3 is going to be 300 m/s. A normal shock hangs at the inlet lip. Flow is
isentropic except through the shocks.
a) Calculate A1/A2.
b) Calculate A3/A2.
c) Calculate the static and the stagnation pressure at section 3.
Shock

3
2

1200 m/s

Inlet lip
(METU 1991) (Ans. a) 1.474, b) 1.340, c) 445.4 kPa, 528.3 kPa)

16. A Pitot tube on board of a supersonic aircraft travelling at a supersonic speed registers a
99.2 kPa stagnation pressure. It is known that the atmospheric conditions are 25 kPa and
220 K.
a) What is the velocity of the aircraft?
b) What is the absolute velocity (velocity with respect to an observer who is
stationary) of the air behind the shock wave created by the aircraft? Calculate also the
change in stagnation temperature of the air as the shock wave passes through the
undisturbed medium.

Oblique shock wave

Pitot tube

px =25 kPa
Tx =220 K
poy = 99.2 kPa
x

(Ans. a) 487.7 m/s, b) 255.3 m/s, 123.8 K)

17. The pressure ratio across the diaphragm in a shock tube is 8. The initial pressure of the air
on the low pressure side of the diaphragm is 50 kPa, while the initial temperature on each
side of the diaphragm is 300 K. Determine
a) the velocity of the initial normal shock wave,
b) the Mach number of the air behind the normal shock wave, and
c)

the static pressure and temperature behind the normal shock wave.

(Ans. a) 534.8 m/s, b) 0.6395, c) 130 kPa, 404.1 K)

18. A tube with a length of 2 m contains air at a pressure of 5 kPa and a temperature of 300 K.
When the diaphragm at the end of the tube is ruptured, a normal shock wave moves down
the tube. The ambient pressure is 100 kPa. A test object is located midway along the tube.
Determine
a) the velocity of the initial normal shock wave,
b) the velocity and the Mach number of the air behind the initial normal shock wave,
c) the static pressure and temperature behind the initial normal shock wave,

d) the velocity of the normal shock wave which reflects from the closed end of the
tube and
e) the time that the test object is subjected to the pressure and the temperature
behind the initial normal shock wave before the arrival of the reflected shock wave.
(Ans a) 6356 m/s, b) 371.5 m/s, 0.8582, c) 18.7 kPa, 466.2 K, d) 338.3 m/s, e) 0.004529 s)

19. Air is stored in a tube with a length of 20 m at a temperature of 300 K and a pressure of
150 kPa. A diaphragm at the end of the tube is suddenly ruptured causing expansion waves
to propagate down the tube. The ambient pressure is 100 kPa. Determine
a) the velocity of first expansion wave,
b) the time required for the first expansion wave to reach the closed end of the tube,
c) the velocity of air behind the expansion wave, and
d) the velocity of the last expansion wave.
(Ans. a) 347.3 m/s, b) 0.05759 s, c) 98 m/s, d) 229.7 m/s)

20. The initial pressure ratio across the diaphragm of a shock tube is 20. It is desirable to subject
a test object to momentary conditions of high pressure and temperature for a period of 0.2
s between the time of passage of the initial shock wave and the time of passage of the shock
wave reflected from the closed end of the tube over the test object. The test object is located
4 m from the diaphragm and the initial temperature of the air in the shock tube is 300 K.
Determine a suitable length for the low pressure side of the shock tube. (Ans. 48.16 m)

QUIZ 4 BASED ON PROBLEMS 1 TO 5 WILL BE GIVEN ON NOVEMBER 09,

2015 AT 11:15 a.m.

QUIZ 5 BASED ON PROBLEMS 6 TO 10 WILL BE GIVEN ON NOVEMBER 16,

2015 AT 11:15 a.m.

QUIZ 6 BASED ON PROBLEMS 16 TO 20 WILL BE GIVEN ON NOVEMBER 30,

2015 AT 11:15 a.m.