The reflection of a normal shock wave from the end wall of a two‐dimensional channel has been numerically simulated to investigate the unsteady, viscous interaction aspects of shock bifurcation. The numerical simulation implements a data‐parallel version of the Flux‐Corrected Transport algorithm that has been coupled to the viscous transport terms of the Navier–Stokes equations. All numerical simulations were performed on the Connection Machine, the CM‐5. The results indicate that the shear layer in the bifurcation zone is unstable, and the large and small scale vortices lead to complex flow patterns. In addition, the high‐speed, essentially inviscid flow, which is adjacent to the shear layer, is deflected over this region. As a result, weak shock and expansions waves are generated and a reattachment shock is formed at the trailing edge of the interaction region. The impact of heat transfer, Reynolds number, and incident shock strength on the viscous interaction is also investigated. Heat transfer to the walls weakens the interaction between the boundary layer and the reflected shock. However, the decreased Reynolds number and increased shock strength enhances the interaction. ©1995 American Institute of Physics.