Numerical Resolution of Supersonic Flow using the MacCormack Method

Abstract

In the aerospace degree a lot of focus is put into the fluid dynamics field, and extensive knowledge about fluid behaviour is acquired during the years that the student spends at the university. This knowledge is so huge that it is necessary a wide range of subjects to develop it. However, the necessity of evaluating the students, combined with the desire of showcasing the theoretical knowledge learned, turns into the development of analytical solutions that can be solved in class and subsequently be asked in the exam. To achieve these solutions, a number of simplifications must be made to make the equations manageable and usually the geometry of the problems is limited in order to simplify the problem even further. This turns the fluid dynamic subjects into a complex exercise of manipulating equations, apply simplifications and try to reach the analytical solution, losing in the process the relation to the physics of the problem. Several times the ability to solve the chosen problem does not increase the comprehension of the key concepts and does not develop an insight of the physical behaviours that occur in the fluid.