Contributions to the Development of Gasdynamics : Selected Papers, Translated on the Occasion of K. Oswatitsch’s 70th Birthday

Ever since airplane speeds started to approach the speed of sound, the study of compressible flow problems attracted much talent and support in the major indus­ trialized countries. Today, gas dynamics is a mature branch of science whose many aspects and applications are much too numerous to be mastered by a single person or to be described in a few volumes. This book commemorates the 70th birthday of a great pioneer and teacher of gas dynamics, Dr. Klaus Oswatitsch, Professor of Fluid Mechanics at the Technical University of Vienna and former Director of the Institute for Theoretical Gas Dyna­ mics, Deutsche Forschungs-und Versuchsanstalt fUr Luft-und Raumfahrt. Several reasons motivated us to prepare an English translation of Oswatitsch's selected sci­ entific papers. First, we hope that a book containing his major papers will be wel­ come as a valuable reference text in gas dynamics. Oswatitsch's work is frequently used in the literature in one form or another, but it is usually quite time-consuming for the English speaking reader to consult the original texts. As a result, reference to and understanding of his papers is often incomplete. For example, Oswatitsch's formulation of the equivalence rule hardly ever is quoted in recent textbooks, al­ though it preceded declassification of Whitcomb's results by several years. Further­ more, his papers contain much information, which has not yet been fully appreciated in the Anglo-American literature. Front Matter....Pages I-XX Front Matter....Pages 1-1 The Drag as Integral of the Entropy Flow....Pages 2-5 The Conditions for the Separation of Boundary Layers....Pages 6-18 Some Thoughts on Estimates in Fluid Mechanics....Pages 19-26 Possibilities and Limitations of the Theory of Linearization in Fluid Dynamics....Pages 27-40 About Vorticity Numbers and Vorticity Measures....Pages 41-49 Front Matter....Pages 51-51 A New Law of Similarity for Profiles, Valid in the Transonic Region....Pages 52-67 Aerodynamic Similarity at Axisymmetric Transonic Flow around Slender Bodies....Pages 68-75 Similarity Laws for Hypersonic Flow....Pages 76-88 Theoretical Work about Transonic Flow at the Aeronautical Institute of the Royal Technical University, Stockholm....Pages 89-95 Conical Supersonic Flow at Mach Numbers Close to One....Pages 96-106 On the Influence of the Geometry of Slender Bodies of Revolution and Delta Wings on Their Drag and Pressure Distribution at Transonic Speeds....Pages 107-147 Front Matter....Pages 149-149 The Velocity Distribution on Symmetric Profiles with Local Supersonic Flow Regions....Pages 150-187 The Flow around Bodies of Revolution at Mach Number 1....Pages 188-207 Calculation of Irrotational Axisymmetric Supersonic Flowfields....Pages 208-238 On the Representation of Flows in the Vicinity of Distinct Points....Pages 239-248 Propagation of Plane Waves — Small Perturbation Theory —....Pages 249-263 Propagation Problems....Pages 264-287 Front Matter....Pages 289-289 Pressure Recovery for Missiles with Reaction Propulsion at High Supersonic Speeds (The Efficiency of Shock Diffusers)....Pages 290-323 Potential Vortex Cascades for Supersonic Speeds....Pages 324-331 Thrust and Drag in Supersonic Flow with Heat Addition....Pages 332-342 Front Matter....Pages 289-289 Intermediate Ballistics....Pages 343-372 Front Matter....Pages 373-373 The Dispersion and Absorption of Sound in Clouds....Pages 374-396 Condensation Phenomena in Supersonic Nozzles....Pages 397-418 The Evaporation Rate of Clouds....Pages 419-429