AbstractThe objective of the paper is twofold. First we describe an upwind/central differencing method for solving the steady Navier–Stokes equations. The symmetric line relaxation method is used to solve the resulting algebraic system to achieve high computational efficiency. The grid spacings used in the calculations are determined from the triple‐deck theory, in terms of Mach and Reynolds numbers and other flow parameters. Thus the accuracy of the numerical solutions is improved by comparing them with experimental, analytical and other computational results. Secondly we proceed to study numerically the shock wave/boundary layer interactions in detail, with special attention given to the flow separation. The concept of free interaction is confirmed. Although the separated region varies with Mach and Reynolds numbers, we find that the transverse velocity component behind the incident shock, which has not been identified heretofore, is also an important parameter. A small change of this quantity is sufficient to eliminate the flow separation entir