SURFACE REFLECTIVE VISUALIZATIONS OF SHOCK-WAVE VORTEX INTERACTIONS ABOVE A DELTA-WING/

The surface reflective visualization (SRV) system is used to investiga te the vortical flowfield above a 65-deg sweep, sharp leading-edge, no ncambered delta wing in a high subsonic how Configurations of M-infini ty-alpha are considered that both do and do not exhibit vortex breakdo wn above the wing, with and without the presence of a terminating shoc k-wave system above the wing. The SRV system provides a new opportunit y to investigate the behavior of vortex breakdown in the high subsonic regime as well as the spanwise distribution of the terminating shock- wave system above the wing. Two classes of vortex breakdown, asymmetri c and symmetric, are observed. The terminating shock-wave system is fo und to influence vortex breakdown and wing performance in the presence of vortex breakdown.