Simulation of Cylinder Flows with Gaps

This thesis presents results of computations of supersonic flow over finite cylinders with varying geometries at the cylinder-wall juncture. The flow domain and geometries were modeled after experiments conducted at University of Tennessee Space Institute (UTSI). CREATE Kestrel (KCFD) was used to perform improved-delayed detached simulations (IDDES) of the unsteady flow. Time-accurate data were collected via taps along the centerline partially on the surface of the cylinder geometries and on the wall upstream of the cylinder. Spectra of the pressure signals and two-point correlations were computed to compare the flow between the different cases consisting of a baseline cylinder, the cylinder with a smaller gap, and the cylinder with a wider fairing. Properties on the cylinder surface for the gap case had the greatest difference compared to the others. In addition, the spectral content showed higher frequency activity for the gap case on the surface in front of the cylinder.