Book Description

Equations for the shock wave envelope and cusp line associated with the boom propagated from a supersonic aircraft are formulated in terms of the moving-trihedral coordinate system for flight in a uniform atmosphere and also in an atmosphere with a linear sound-speed gradient. Ray-tube theory is used to calculate the lateral distribution of boom intensity in an atmosphere with a linear sound-speed gradient and also to investigate the effect of a general wind and sound-speed gradient on the ground-track intensity. The relative effects of wind and temperature gradient are treated. The mechanism of focusing by winds and by ground structures are discussed qualitatively.