Numerical Study on Aerodynamic Performance of Hypersonic Vehicle with Aerospikes

Yang Xu*, Shu Zhou Fang, Shuai Zhang

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapterpeer-review

1 Citation (Scopus)

Abstract

The drag and heat flux reduction have become an increasing crucial characteristic for the hypersonic vehicles. Numerical simulations of the hypersonic flow around the blunt body with aerospike are investigated for the aerospike’s changing L/D ratios with freedom Mach number of 5.75. The effect of the characteristics of the flow field and the aerospike’s L/D ratios on the drag coefficient of model and the surface pressure coefficient of the nose cone are analysed using a two-dimensional axisymmetric Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) equations coupled with the two equation k-ω shear stress transport (SST) turbulence model. The numerical simulation results show that the installation of the aerospike changes the flow field structure of the blunt body vehicle head, which reduces the drag of the blunt body vehicle significantly in hypersonic flight. The size of the recirculation region depends on the aerospike’s L/D ratios. Among the different aerospike configurations studied, the drag reduction effect of aerospike when the L/D = 1 is the best, and the maximum value of the drag reduction efficiency is 36.4%. Within the scope of this study, as the L/D ratio of the aerospike increases, the drag reduction efficiency increases gradually.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationSpringer Aerospace Technology
PublisherSpringer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH
Pages3-13
Number of pages11
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2022

Publication series

NameSpringer Aerospace Technology
ISSN (Print)1869-1730
ISSN (Electronic)1869-1749

Keywords

  • Aerospike
  • Drag reduction
  • Hypersonic flow

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