A matrix stability analysis of the carbuncle phenomenon

The carbuncle phenomenon is a shock instability mechanism which ruins all efforts to compute grid-aligned shock waves using low-dissipative upwind schemes. The present study develops a stability analysis for two-dimensional steady shocks on structured meshes based on the matrix method. The numerical resolution of the corresponding eigenvalue problem confirms the typical odd–even form of the unstable mode and displays a Mach number threshold effect currently observed in computations. Furthermore, the present method indicates that the instability of steady shocks is not only governed by the upstream Mach number but also by the numerical shock structure. Finally, the source of the instability is localized in the upstream region, providing some clues to better understand and control the onset of the carbuncle

Shock wave instability and the carbuncle phenomenon: same intrinsic origin ?

The theoretical linear stability of a shock wave moving in an unlimited homogeneous environment has been widely studied during the last fifty years. Important results have been obtained by Dyakov (1954), Landau & Lifchitz (1959) and then by Swan & Fowles (1975) where the fluctuating quantities are written as normal modes. More recently, numerical studies on upwind finite difference schemes have shown some instabilities in the case of the motion of an inviscid perfect gas in a rectangular channel. The purpose of this paper is first to specify a mathematical formulation for the eigenmodes and to exhibit a new mode which was not found by the previous stability analysis of shock waves. Then, this mode is confirmed by numerical simulations which may lead to a new understanding of the so-called carbuncle phenomenon

A carbuncle cure for the Harten-Lax-van Leer contact (HLLC) scheme using a novel velocity-based sensor

AbstractA hybrid numerical flux scheme is proposed by adapting the carbuncle-free modified Harten-Lax-van Leer contact (HLLCM) scheme to smoothly revert to the Harten-Lax-van Leer contact (HLLC) scheme in regions of shear. This hybrid scheme, referred to as the HLLCT scheme, employs a novel, velocity-based shear sensor. In contrast to the non-local pressure-based shock sensors often used in carbuncle cures, the proposed shear sensor can be computed in a localized manner meaning that the HLLCT scheme can be easily introduced into existing codes without having to implement additional data structures. Through numerical experiments, it is shown that the HLLCT scheme is able to resolve shear layers accurately without succumbing to the shock instability.</jats:p