On the evolution of compression pulses in a steady magnetohydrodynamic flow over a concave wall

Abstract

The development of an initial disturbance, generated by a smooth concave wall, in a two-dimensional steady supersonic flow of a perfectly conducting inviscid fluid permeated by a transverse magnetic field is analysed in detail. Explicit criteria for the breaking or non-breaking of the wave profile are obtained in terms of the flow, field, and boundary parameters. The results show how the upstream-flow Mach number, the ratio of magnetic and hydrodynamic pressures, the adiabatic heat exponent, and the boundary curvature influence the development of a compression wave into a shock wave. © 1987 Oxford University Press.