Heat Transfer and Pressure Distributions on Re-Entry Nose Shapes in the VKI Longshot Hypersonic Tunnel

摘要

Heat transfer and pressure distributions have been made on five vehicle nose shapes in the VKI Longshot free piston wind tunnel at M=15 and 20. The flow parameters achieved closely simulate aerodynamic re-entry conditions. The models used in the study were a 50-8 degree biconic configuration, with sharp- and blunt-nosed versions and a sharp-nosed version with a machined roughness, and a hemisphere configuration with a smooth and a sand-blast rough surface. These configurations resemble the stable shapes of turbulent and laminar ablating nose cones. Preliminary comparisons have been made with the state-of-the-art engineering predictions. Some discussion about the state of the boundary layer is included.