LAUSR

Abstract Reducing the scale of the oblique detonation wave engine is of great importance as the aircrafts are getting smaller and smaller. A key factor that determines the scale of the oblique detonation wave engine is the trigger location of the detonation wave. Motivated by a cavity stabilized micro combustion phenomenon, a novel wedge with a step added on the surface is proposed to control the trigger location of the oblique detonation wave. A numerical model based on two-dimensional compressible multi-species Euler equations is established to simulate the shock induced combustion phenomenon induced by the wedge. Detailed reaction kinetics mechanism is taken into consideration. An AUSM + scheme (Advection Upstream Splitting Method) is adopted to solve the model. Eleven cases considering different step locations, different Mach numbers of the incoming flow and different rear wedge angles are simulated. It is found that the novel wedge is capable to control the trigger location of the oblique detonation wave through a compression–expansion–compression process. The trigger location control can be accomplished through variations of the step location and the rear wedge angle. The trigger location is always following the step with a constant distance from the step as the step moves along the wedge surface. The trigger location moves towards the step as the rear wedge angle increases.