Approximate methods in high speed flow

Abstract

In many problems arising in the theory of compressible flow, the equations characterising the solution of the system are so intractable that recourse must be made to some approximate method which allows the essential features of the flow to be preserved, whilst to some degree, simplifying the mathematics. It is with certain methods of this type that this thesis is concerned.

In the subsequent work, we shall assume that the effects due to viscosity and heat conduction are so small as to be negligible. These assumptions may be shown to be largely valid except in those domains of the flow-field where the modified system of equations predicts regions in which the solution is in general multivalued. In the modified system, however, such ‘regions’ are avoided by the introduction of mathematical discontinuities and, assuming that the jump conditions across them can be determines, are sufficient to provide single-valued solutions valid everywhere, except at the discontinuity. The methods to be presented are formulated in the plane consisting of one space variable and one time variable.