ANGLE-OF-ATTACK IMPACT ON THE AEROTHERMODYNAMIC PERFORMANCE OF FLAT-NOSE POWER-LAW BODIES IN HYPERSONIC AIRFLOW

摘要

This work describes a computational investigation on rarefied hypersonic flow past flat-nose power-law leading edges at incidence. Positive angle-of-attack effects on the aerodynamic surface quantities have been investigated by employing the Direct Simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) Method. A method that properly accounts for the non-equilibrium aspects of the flow that arise near the leading-edge nose and that are especially important at high Mach numbers. The study is of great importance since it is impossible to achieve ideally sharp leading edges of airframes such as waverider vehicles. The results presented highlight the sensitivity of heat flux, drag and lift to changes not only on the angle of attack but also on the afterbody surface of the leading edges defined by power-law shapes. The analysis showed that positive angle of attack causes the expected asymmetry in the flow patterns as the stagnation point moves from the symmetry axis to the windward side of the leading edges.