The large-amplitude combustion oscillation in a single-side expansion scramjet combustor

•The evolution of the flame and shock wave is captured by the high-speed camera.•The principal frequency of the combustion oscillation in this paper is about 126 Hz.•The process is accompanied by the transformation of the flame-holding pattern.•The oscillation is also accompanied by the transition of combustion mode.

The combustion oscillation in scramjet combustor is believed not existing and ignored for a long time. Compared with the flame pulsation, the large-amplitude combustion oscillation in scramjet combustor is indeed unfamiliar and difficult to be observed. In this study, the specifically designed experiments are carried out to investigate this unusual phenomenon in a single-side expansion scramjet combustor. The entrance parameter of combustor corresponds to scramjet flight Mach number 4.0 with a total temperature of 947 K. The obtained results show that the large-amplitude combustion oscillation can exist in scramjet combustor, which is not occasional and can be reproduced. Under the given conditions of this study, moreover, the large-amplitude combustion oscillation is regular and periodic, whose principal frequency is about 126 Hz. The proceeding of the combustion oscillation is accompanied by the transformation of the flame-holding pattern and combustion mode transition between scramjet mode combustion and ramjet mode combustion.