Nonlinear potential analysis techniques for supersonic aerodynamic design

A numerical method based on the conservation form of the full potential equation has been applied to the problem of three-dimensional supersonic flows with embedded subsonic regions. The governing equation is cast in a nonorthogonal coordinate system, and the theory of characteristics is used to accurately monitor the type-dependent flow field. A conservative switching scheme is employed to transition from the supersonic marching procedure to a subsonic relaxation algorithm and vice versa. The newly developed computer program can handle arbitrary geometries with fuselage, canard, wing, flow through nacelle, vertical tail and wake components at combined angles of attack and sideslip. Results are obtained for a variety of configurations that include a Langley advanced fighter concept with fuselage centerline nacelle, Rockwell's Advanced Tactical Fighter (ATF) with wing mounted nacelles, and the Shuttle Orbiter configuration. Comparisons with available experiments were good

Radiation induced precursor flow field ahead of a Jovian entry body

The change in flow properties ahead of the bow shock of a Jovian entry body, resulting from absorption of radiation from the shock layer, is investigated. Ultraviolet radiation is absorbed by the free stream gases, causing dissociation, ionization, and an increase in enthalpy of flow ahead of the shock wave. As a result of increased fluid enthalpy, the entire flow field in the precursor region is perturbed. The variation in flow properties is determined by employing the small perturbation technique of classical aerodynamics as well as the thin layer approximation for the preheating zone. By employing physically realistic models of radiative transfer, solutions are obtained for velocity, pressure, density, temperature, and enthalpy variations. The results indicate that the precursor flow effects, in general, are greater at higher altitudes. Just ahead of the shock, however, the effects are larger at lower altitudes. Pre-heating of the gas significantly increases the static pressure and temperature ahead of the shock for velocities exceeding 36 km/sec

A user guide for the EMTAC-MZ CFD code

The computer code (EMTAC-MZ) was applied to investigate the flow field over a variety of very complex three-dimensional (3-D) configurations across the Mach number range (subsonic, transonic, supersonic, and hypersonic flow). In the code, a finite volume, multizone implementation of high accuracy, total variation diminishing (TVD) formulation (based on Roe's scheme) is used to solve the unsteady Euler equations. In the supersonic regions of the flow, an infinitely large time step and a space-marching scheme is employed. A finite time step and a relaxation or 3-D approximate factorization method is used in subsonic flow regions. The multizone technique allows very complicated configurations to be modeled without geometry modifications, and can easily handle combined internal and external flow problems. An elliptic grid generation package is built into the EMTAC-MZ code. To generate the computational grid, only the surface geometry data are required. Results obtained for a variety of configurations, such as fighter-like configurations (F-14, AVSTOL), flow through inlet, multi-bodies (shuttle with external tank and SRBs), are reported and shown to be in good agreement with available experimental data

Full potential methods for analysis/design of complex aerospace configurations

The steady form of the full potential equation, in conservative form, is employed to analyze and design a wide variety of complex aerodynamic shapes. The nonlinear method is based on the theory of characteristic signal propagation coupled with novel flux biasing concepts and body-fitted mapping procedures. The resulting codes are vectorized for the CRAY XMP and the VPS-32 supercomputers. Use of the full potential nonlinear theory is demonstrated for a single-point supersonic wing design and a multipoint design for transonic maneuver/supersonic cruise/maneuver conditions. Achievement of high aerodynamic efficiency through numerical design is verified by wind tunnel tests. Other studies reported include analyses of a canard/wing/nacelle fighter geometry

Effects of precursor heating on radiative and chemically reacting viscous flow around a Jovian entry body

The influence of change in the precursor region flow properties on the entire shock layer flow phenomena around a Jovian entry body was investigated. The flow in the shock layer was assumed to be steady, axisymmetric, and viscous. Both the chemical equilibrium and the nonequilibrium composition of the shock layer gas were considered. The effects of transitional range behavior were included in the analysis of high altitude entry conditions. Realistic thermophysical and radiation models were used, and results were obtained by employing the implicit finite difference technique in the shock layer and an iterative procedure for the entire shock layer precursor zone. Results obtained for a 45 degree angle hyperboloid blunt body entering Jupiter's atmosphere at zero angle of attack indicates that preheating the gas significantly increases the static pressure and temperature ahead of the shock for entry velocities exceeding 36 km/sec. The nonequilibrium radiative heating rate to the body is found to be significantly higher than the corresponding equilibrium heating. The precursor heating generally increases the radiative and convective heating of a body. That increase is slightly higher for the nonequilibrium conditions

Significance of shock and body slip conditions on Jovian entry heating

The influence of the body and shock slip conditions on the heating of a Jovian entry body is investigated. The flow in the shock layer is considered to be axisymmetric, steady, laminar, viscous, and in chemical equilibrium. Realistic thermophysical and step-function spectral models are employed and results are obtained by implicit finite-difference and iteractive procedures. The freestream conditions correspond to a typical Jovian entry trajectory point. The results indicate that the effect of the slip conditions is significant when the altitudes are higher than 225 km and that the contribution of a radiative heat-flux term in the energy equation should not be neglected at any altitude

Influence of precursor heating on viscous flow around a Jovian entry body

The influence of changes in precursor region flow properties (resulting from the absorption of radiation from the shock layer) on the entire shock layer flow phenomena was investigated. The axially symmetric case is considered for both the preheating zone (precursor region) and shock layer. The flow in the shock layer is assumed to be viscous with chemical equilibrium but radiative nonequilibrium. Realistic thermophysical and spectral models are employed, and results are obtained by implicit finite difference and iterative procedures. The results indicate that precursor heating increases the radiative heating of the body by a maximum of 7.5 percent for 116 km entry conditions

Effect of Precursor Heating on Radiating and Chemically Reacting Viscous Flow Around a Jovian Entry Body

The influence of changes in the precursor region flow properties (resulting from absorption of the radiation from the shock layer) on the entire shock layer flow phenomena around a Jovian entry body is investigated under physically realistic conditions. In the precursor region, the flow is considered to be inviscid and the variations in flow properties are determined by employing the small perturbation technique as well as the thin layer approximation. The flow in the shock layer is assumed to be steady, axisymmetric and viscous. The analysis is carried out by considering both the chemical equilibrium and nonequilibrium composition of the shock layer gas. The effects of transitional range behavior (slip boundary conditions on the body surface and at the shock wave) are included in the analysis of high altitude entry conditions. Realistic thermo-physical and radiation models are used and results are obtained by employing the implicit finite difference technique in the shock layer and an iterative procedure for the entire shock layerprecursor zone. Results obtained for a 45° hyperboloid blunt body entering the Jupiter\u27s atmosphere at zero angle of attack indicate that pre-heating of the gas significantly increases the static pressure and temperature ahead of the shock for entry velocities exceeding 36 km/sec. The nonequilibrium radiative heating rate to the body is found to be significantly higher than the corresponding equilibrium heating. The precursor heating, in general, increases the radiative and convective heating to the body, and this increase is slightly higher for the nonequilibrium conditions

Effects of precursor heating on chemical and radiation nonequilibrium viscous flow around a Jovian entry body

The influence of precursor heating on viscous chemical nonequilibrium radiating flow around a Jovian entry body is investigated. Results obtained for a 45-degree hyperboloid blunt body entering Jupiter's nominal atmosphere at zero angle of attack indicate that the nonequilibrium radiative heating rate is significantly higher than the corresponding equilibrium heating. The precursor heating, in general, increases the radiative and convective heating to the body, and this increase is slightly higher for the nonequilibrium conditions