Oblique Shock Wave & Mach Cone

Aerospace Engineering

How It Works

When an aircraft or projectile travels through a fluid at supersonic velocity (M > 1), localized acoustic pressure waves cannot propagate upstream against the supersonic flow. These disturbances constructively coalesce into a sharp, conical shock discontinuity termed the Mach cone. Across this oblique shock boundary, the fluid undergoes a sudden non-isentropic compression resulting in discontinuous jumps in pressure, temperature, and entropy.

Governing Equation
sin μ = 1 / M , tan θ = 2 · cot β · (M₁² · sin²β - 1) / (M₁² · (γ + cos 2β) + 2)