A Method of Characteristic Surfaces. The Approximate Solution of Three-Dimensional Supersonic Flow Fields from the Near Field Up to the Sonic Boom Region

摘要

A method of characteristic surfaces is presented, which may be used to describe the supersonic flow past a three dimensional body uniformly valid up to first order. The method is based on a geometric study of the characteristic surfaces, which envelop the most important disturbances in the originally undisturbed free stream. This leads to the conclusion that the linearized theory can be made valid throughout a supersonic flow field, provided that the predicted flow perturbations are shifted from acoustical characteristic surfaces towards corresponding first order surfaces.