FINITE-DIFFERENCE METHOD-OF-CHARACTERISTICS SCHEME FOR THE EQUATIONS OF GASDYNAMICS

A finite-difference method for the characteristic equations of gasdynamics is developed. The method is based on a directed discretization of the characteristic compatibility conditions. The choice of wave propagation directions is arbitrary, and there is no need to fit interpolating functions to the initial data. The proposed method is not conservative and therefore must be used with a shock-fitting procedure in regions wherever the flow is discontinuous. Numerical results are presented for sample two-dimensional problems.