Magneto-gasdynamic flow over a wedge

Abstract

The solution for the flow of a fully ionized gas over a wedge of finite angle is known for the case when the applied magnetic field is aligned with the incident stream. In this flow there are current sheets on the surfaces of the wedge. When the magnetic field is allowed to deviate slightly from the stream, the current sheets may move into the gas and become shock waves. The magnetic fields adjacent to the wedge above and below it have to be matched. A perturbation method is introduced by means of which expressions for the unknown quantities in the different regions may be determined when there are four shocks attached to the wedge. The results give insight into the manner in which the shock-wave pattern develops as the obliquity of the magnetic field to the stream increases. The question of the stability of the shock waves is also examined.