Calculation of Downwash Behind Supersonic Wings With an Application to Triangular Plan Forms

摘要

A method is developed consistent with the assumptions of small perturbation theory, which provides a means of determining the downwash behind a wing in supersonic flow for a known load distribution. The analysis is based upon the use of supersonic doublets which are distributed over the plan form and wake of the wing in a manner determined from the wing loading. The first application of the method proves the equivalence in subsonic and supersonic flow of the downwash at infinity corresponding to a given load distribution. The principal application in this report is concerned with the downwash behind a triangular wing with leading edges swept back of the Mach cone from the vertex. A complete solution is given along the center line of the wake and an approximation provided for points in the vicinity of this line.