SPRING 2016

MIDDLE EAST TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
ME 503 ADVANCED GAS DYNAMICS
HOMEWORK 4
Due: May 23, 2016, 08:40 a.m.

1. Show that the path of a gas particle across a centered expansion Q wave, whose center is
at the origin of the (x, t) coordinates, propagating in a constant area duct in a gas initially
at rest is given by
2
2 k  1  a4  k 1
x a4 t  x0  t   x0
k 1 k  1  x0 
where a4 denotes the speed of sound in a gas at rest and x0 denotes the initial position of
the gas particle (x0 > 0).

2. Derive the following equations

k 1

 a4 t   p4  4 k
   
 L  B  p3 

 k 1
 k 1

 x  2  k  1  p  2k
 4 p  4k
  
    p3 
3
  1
 L  B k  1  2  p4 
 
for the dimensionless time variable and the dimensionless distance variable at which the
head of the expansion wave, formed by reflection from a stationary wall of a centered
expansion Q wave, which is shown in the figure, intersects the tail of the centered
expansion Q wave, as functions of the pressure ratio across the centered expansion Q wave.

1
 a4t
L

State 5
Tail

Q wave C
(simple wave)

Head Nonsimple
 a4 t  wave
  B
 L B
1.0 A
State 3 P wave
(simple wave)
Tail
State 4
Head
u4 = 0 a4
x
0 1 L
Tube

3. A centered expansion wave propagates in a gas at rest in a constant area duct in the direction
of positive x axis. Sketch the reflection of the wave from the open end of the tube, on the
physical and state planes. Sketch a path of a gas particle on the (x, t) plane. Use
dimensionless variables.

4. Sketch, on the physical and state planes, the interaction resulting when a simple
compression P wave overtakes a contact surface, assuming that the reflected wave to be a
compression wave.

5. Analyze reflection of a expansion P wave at a contact surface, utilizing (x, t) and (a, u)
planes.