Symmetric Mach reflection configuration with asymmetric unsteady solution

Symmetric Mach reflection in steady supersonic flow has been usually studied by solving a half-plane problem with the symmetric line treated as reflecting surface, thus losing the opportunity to discover antisymmetric flow structures. Here in this paper we treat this problem as an entire-plane problem. Using an unsteady numerical approach, we find that the two sliplines exhibit antisymmetric unsteadiness if the Mach stem height is small while the flow remains symmetric if the Mach stem height is large. The mechanism by which disturbance, generated in the downstream of the flow duct between the two sliplines, propagates upstream is identified and it is also shown that the interaction between the transmitted expansion waves and the sliplines increases the amplitude of the unstable modes. The present study suggests a new type of compressible jet that deserves further studies.