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NASA NTRS1997

Future Aerospace Technology in the Service of the Alliance: Sustained Hypersonic Flight - Volume 3

Sustained Hypersonic Flight capability is envisioned for several future military and civilian applications, such as long range immediate reaction reconnaissance, high speed interception of air targets, long range precision strike against hardened or time critical targets, and access to space. The inherent reduction in time-to-target and low vulnerability will permit new operational tactics. The symposium outlined mission needs and operational scenarios for hypersonic vehicles. Addressed were: Technological issues and challenges in external hypersonic aerodynamics and design, propulsion and engine/airframe integration, military ramjet applications, overall system design including structures and materials development needs, and test facilities. Ground based test facilities cannot provide full simulation at Mach numbers above 5. Therefore, the use of Computational Fluid Dynamics design tools is essential. For routine use of the computational tools in analysis, design and optimization, it is necessary to reduce the time for the entire computational process by two orders of magnitude. Hypersonic boundary layer transition remains a critical design issue because of the important impact on engine drag and on heating, which can affect the choice of materials and thermal protection systems. In addition, reliable prediction of scramjet net thrust is an absolute must in resolving hypersonic air breathing vehicle design issues. Due to current facility and computational shortfalls, the development of future hypersonic flight systems requires research flight tests in the technology areas of boundary layer transition and air-breathing propulsion engine performance. For sustained hypersonic flight beyond Mach 6, the supersonic combustion ramjet (scramjet) engine is the only choice for the near future. Only this air-breathing concept offers a significant promise of large reductions in required propellant fractions, increased payload fractions, and reduced size vehicles, together with a foreseeable technological feasibility. Airframe/engine integration, combustor design and thermal management are the predominant engineering tasks. Fuels, hydrogen or hydrocarbon, must be matched to the operational needs of military or civil use. Experience in existing ramjet propelled missiles capable of speeds up to Mach 4 can support the development effort. The potential mission and cost benefits of sustained hypersonic flight to both military and civil applications are tremendous. From the budget point of view, the possibility of sharing development costs between military and civil programs offers a specific advantage.

Source record↗

NASA NTRS1990

Hypersonic propulsion: Status and challenge

Scientists in the U.S. are again focusing on the challenge of hypersonic flight with the proposed National Aerospace Plane (NASP). This renewed interest has led to an expansion of research related to high speed airbreathing propulsion, in particular, the supersonic combustion ramjet, or scramjet. The history is briefly traced of scramjet research in the U.S., with emphasis on NASA sponsored efforts, from the Hypersonic Research Engine (HRE) to the current status of today's airframe integrated scramjets. The challenges of scramjet technology development from takeover to orbital speeds are outlined. Existing scramjet test facilities such as NASA Langley's Scramjet Test Complex as well as new high Mach number pulse facilities are discussed. The important partnership role of experimental methods and computational fluid dynamics is emphasized for the successful design of single stage to orbit vehicles.

Guy, R. Wayne↗

NASA NTRS1988

Optimal plane change during constant altitude hypersonic flight

Future spacecraft operating in the vicinity of the earth may have resort to the atmosphere as an aid in effecting orbital change. While a previous treatment of this technique chose constant altitude, speed, and angle-of-attack values in order to maximize the plane change for a fixed amount of propellant consumption during hypersonic flight, the former two parameters are presently released from the constraint of constancy. The general characteristics of the optimal controls are described on the basis of the domain of maneuverability, and numerical solutions are obtained for several specific cases. Under the condition of constant-altitude flight, it is generally not optimal to fly at constant angle-of-attack.

Mease, K. D.↗

NASA NTRS1989

On the threshold - The outlook for supersonic and hypersonic aircraft

A development history and current development status evaluation is presented with a view to the prospective viability of supersonic, hypersonic, and transatmospheric vehicle R&D efforts. It is stressed that such high-speed vehicles will not supplant the current fleet of subsonic aircraft, but simply address the growing need for very long range commercial and military missions. Mach 2-3 airliners could be developed by the year 2000; Mach 5-6 military reconnaissance aircraft could be operational soon after. Transatmospheric, mixed airbreathing/rocket propulsion single-stage vehicles capable of orbital insertion will require several years of additional development beyond hypersonic ones to become operational.

Harris, Roy V., Jr.↗

NASA NTRS1954

A study of hypersonic small-disturbance theory

A systematic study is made of the approximate inviscid theory of thin bodies moving at such high supersonic speeds that nonlinearity is an essential feature of the equations of flow. The first-order small-disturbance equations are derived for three-dimensional motions involving shock waves, and estimates are obtained for the order of error involved in the approximation. The hypersonic similarity rule of Tsien and Hayes, and Hayes' unsteady analogy appear in the course of the development. It is shown that the hypersonic theory can be interpreted so that it applies also in the range of linearized supersonic flow theory. Several examples are solved according to the small-disturbance theory, and compared with the full solutions when available.

Van Dyke, Milton D↗

NASA NTRS1991

Three-dimensional viscous flow computations of high area ratio nozzles for hypersonic propulsion

The PARC3D code was selected by the authors to analyze a variety of complex and high-speed flow configurations. Geometries considered for code validation include ramps and corner flows, which are characteristic of inlets and nozzles. Flows with Mach numbers of 3-14 were studied. Both two- and three-dimensional experimental data for shock-boundary-layer interaction were considered to validate the code. A detailed comparison of various flow parameters with available experimental data is presented; agreement between the solutions and the experimental data in terms of pitot pressure profiles, yaw-angle distributions, static pressures, and skin friction is found to be very good. In addition, two- and three-dimensional flow calculations were performed for a hypersonic nozzle. Comparison of the wall pressure results with the published solutions is made for the two-dimensional case.

Reddy, D. R.↗

NASA NTRS1993

Application of a two-equation turbulence model for high speed compressible flows using unstructured grids

Application of a two-equation compressible turbulence model for practical hypersonic flows 18 presented. The solution algorithm is based on solving all of the governing equations simultaneously. Application of the solution procedure to several test cases for compressible flows show good agreement with theoretical predictions and/or other computational results. The solution procedure is employed to investigate the effects of turbulence in Type III and Type IV shock-shock interactions in hypersonic flows in association with adaptive unstructured grids. Computational results for these cases are compared with available experimental data.

Vemaganti, Gururaja R.↗

NASA NTRS2018

Effect of Distributed Patch of Smooth Roughness Elements on Transition in a High-Speed Boundary Layer

Surface roughness is known to have a substantial impact on the aerothermodynamic loading of hypersonic vehicles, particularly via its influence on the laminar-turbulent transition process within the boundary layer. Numerical simulations are performed to investigate the effects of a distributed region of densely packed, smooth-shaped roughness elements on the laminar boundary layer over a 7-degree half-angle, circular cone for flow conditions corresponding to a selected trajectory point from the ascent phase of the HIFiRE-1 flight experiment. For peak-to-valley roughness heights of 50 percent or less in comparison with the thickness of the unperturbed boundary layer, the computations converge to a stationary flow, suggesting that the flow is globally stable. Analysis of convective instabilities in the wake of the roughness patch indicates two dominant families of unstable disturbances, namely, a high frequency mode that corresponds to Mack mode waves modified by the wake and a lower frequency mode that corresponds to shear layer instabilities associated with the streaks in the roughness wake. Even though the peak growth rate of the later mode is more than 35 percent greater than the peak growth rates of the Mack modes, the latter modes achieve higher amplification ratios, and hence, are likely to dominate the onset of transition, which is estimated to occur slightly later than that in the unperturbed, i.e., smooth surface boundary layer. Additional computations are performed to investigate the effects of various roughness patch configurations on a Mach 3.5 flat plate boundary layer, to help guide an upcoming experiment in the Mach 3.5 Supersonic Low Disturbance Tunnel at NASA Langley Research Center. In this case, the cumulative reinforcement of basic state distortion over the length of the roughness patch is predicted to yield a significantly earlier transition than that over a smooth plate or a plate with a shorter length roughness patch.

Meelan Choudhari↗

NASA NTRS2023

CFD Integrated Transition Modeling for High-Speed Flows via Coupled OVERFLOW-LASTRAC Analysis

This work details ongoing efforts at the NASA Langley Research Center to develop and validate a general-use CFD tool that includes built-in predictions of boundary-layer transition in high-speed flows. Existing tools for the coupling of the NASA OVERFLOW structured overset RANS solver and LASTRAC stability analysis code have been extended to capture boundary-layer transition in high-speed flows driven by either Mack’s first-mode or secondmode instabilities and/or crossflow instabilities. The efficacy of this coupled approach has been demonstrated by examining a variety of supersonic and hypersonic test cases for which experimental validation data is available. The intermittency prescription parameters inherited from prior low-speed applications are found to be suitable for some, but not all high-speed flow scenarios. The method is found to be robust for straight cone configurations and improvements necessary to accurately capture transition on geometries with spatially complex amplification factor envelopes with intermediate regions of slow N-factor variation are examined. The automated, coupled analysis is demonstrated for a 3d supersonic test case and found to perform well within the limits of the linear stability analysis on which it relies. Finally, a preliminary investigation of the method’s robustness to non-ideal CFD meshes is conducted.

High-speed flow↗

NASA NTRS1988

Numerical investigations in three-dimensional internal flows

Renewed interest in simulation of high enthalpy flows was brought about by interest in the design and testing of hypersonic propulsion components. This renewed interest has led to refurbishment of high speed ground based wind tunnel facilities. Simulation of the high enthalpy flows occurring in the NASP propulsion system is of particular interest. Studying the combustor presentes some of the more challenging problems in the ground based simulation of the fluid flow. A difficulty in simulating the required conditions at the entrance to the combustor is related to achieveing a sufficiently high static pressure such that combustion would be possible at a high Mach number. An analysis of the flow within the original nozzle was not performed previously using numerical simulations, although it was operated experimentally. A Navier-Stokes code was chosen in the present study to examine analytically the flow within representative selected nozzles for use in combustion experiments. The numerical simulation of these fluid flows is popular and may be able to shed light on the direction that redesign of the shock tube nozzles should take. The numerical codes were modified to account for the axially symmetric flow field, for the inclusion of equilibrium real gas effects and for ideal gases whose thermodynamic properties are frozen at the stagnation conditions. Numerical simulation of flows within the original and two proposed nozzles, including the energy lost to the relatively cold walls, are investigated.

Rose, William C.↗

NASA NTRS1995

Development of a two-equation turbulence model for hypersonic flows: Evaluation of a low Reynolds number correction to the Kappa - epsilon two equation compressible turbulence model - Volume 1

The objective of the current research is the development of an improved k-epsilon two-equation compressible turbulence model for turbulent boundary layer flows experiencing strong viscous-inviscid interactions. The development of an improved model is important in the design of hypersonic vehicles such as the National Aerospace Plane (NASP) and the High Speed Civil Transport (HSCT). Improvements have been made to the low Reynolds number functions in the eddy viscosity and dissipation of solenoidal dissipation of the k-epsilon turbulence mode. These corrections offer easily applicable modifications that may be utilized for more complex geometries. The low Reynolds number corrections are functions of the turbulent Reynolds number and are therefore independent of the coordinate system. The proposed model offers advantages over some current models which are based upon the physical distance from the wall, that modify the constants of the standard model, or that make more corrections than are necessary to the governing equations. The code has been developed to solve the Favre averaged, boundary layer equations for mass, momentum, energy, turbulence kinetic energy, and dissipation of solenoidal dissipation using Keller's box scheme and the Newton spatial marching method. The code has been validated by removing the turbulent terms and comparing the solution with the Blasius solution, and by comparing the turbulent solution with an existing k-epsilon model code using wall function boundary conditions. Excellent agreement is seen between the computed solution and the Blasius solution, and between the two codes. The model has been tested for both subsonic and supersonic flat-plate turbulent boundary layer flow by comparing the computed skin friction with the Van Driest II theory and the experimental data of Weighardt; by comparing the transformed velocity profile with the data of Weighardt, and the Law of the Wall and the Law of the Wake; and by comparing the computed results of an adverse pressure gradient with the experimental data of Fernando and Smits. Good agreement is obtained with the experimental correlations for all flow conditions.

Knight, Doyle D.↗

NASA NTRS1997

STARS: An Integrated, Multidisciplinary, Finite-Element, Structural, Fluids, Aeroelastic, and Aeroservoelastic Analysis Computer Program

A multidisciplinary, finite element-based, highly graphics-oriented, linear and nonlinear analysis capability that includes such disciplines as structures, heat transfer, linear aerodynamics, computational fluid dynamics, and controls engineering has been achieved by integrating several new modules in the original STARS (STructural Analysis RoutineS) computer program. Each individual analysis module is general-purpose in nature and is effectively integrated to yield aeroelastic and aeroservoelastic solutions of complex engineering problems. Examples of advanced NASA Dryden Flight Research Center projects analyzed by the code in recent years include the X-29A, F-18 High Alpha Research Vehicle/Thrust Vectoring Control System, B-52/Pegasus Generic Hypersonics, National AeroSpace Plane (NASP), SR-71/Hypersonic Launch Vehicle, and High Speed Civil Transport (HSCT) projects. Extensive graphics capabilities exist for convenient model development and postprocessing of analysis results. The program is written in modular form in standard FORTRAN language to run on a variety of computers, such as the IBM RISC/6000, SGI, DEC, Cray, and personal computer; associated graphics codes use OpenGL and IBM/graPHIGS language for color depiction. This program is available from COSMIC, the NASA agency for distribution of computer programs.

Gupta, K. K.↗

DOE OSTI2024

The OSIRIS-REx Sample Return Capsule re-entry: A coordinated seismo-acoustic observational campaign for the study of meteor phenomena

Objects entering Earth’s atmosphere at hypersonic velocities may generate powerful acoustic waves. Depending on atmospheric conditions and acoustic propagation paths, they may be captured using ground or balloon-borne microbarometers and microphones. Impacts into the Earth’s atmosphere by asteroids in a meter-size range are sporadic and unannounced, and thus, well-documented scientific observations of asteroids are rare and generally happen by chance. Arriving from interplanetary space at hypervelocity, spacecraft are considered analogues for low velocity meteoroids and asteroids impacting the Earth’s atmosphere, and as such provide unprecedented and unique opportunity to carry out planned observational campaigns and perform detailed studies of meteor phenomena. However, since the end of the Apollo era, only four instances of a hypersonic re-entry of an artificial body from interplanetary space with an incident speed of 11-12 km/s have been observed and studied. These were the Sample Return Capsules (SRCs) that brought physical samples of extraterrestrial material back to Earth (Genesis, Stardust, Hayabusa 1, Hayabusa 2). These re-entries were also detected by infrasound and/or seismic sensors. The next opportunity to observe an artificial meteor will be on 24 September 2023 with the re-entry of NASA’s OSIRIS-REx SRC that will bring samples of the carbonaceous near-Earth asteroid Bennu. The re-entry consists of several flight phases, including hypersonic and supersonic, providing a unique opportunity to observe these by infrasound and seismic sensors. We will discuss observational campaign efforts aimed to capture geophysical signals generated by the OSIRIS-REx SRC re-entry. This campaign utilizes an unparalleled number of instruments, both ground and airborne, strategically positioned in the immediate and extended region around the projected re-entry trajectory to maximize the scientific output.

47 - OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

NASA NTRS1980

Determination of the hypersonic-continuum/rarefied-flow drag coefficient of the Viking lander capsule 1 aeroshell from flight data

Results of an investigation to determine the full scale drag coefficient in the high speed, low density regime of the Viking lander capsule 1 entry vehicle are presented. The principal flight data used in the study were from onboard pressure, mass spectrometer, and accelerometer instrumentation. The hypersonic continuum flow drag coefficient was unambiguously obtained from pressure and accelerometer data; the free molecule flow drag coefficient was indirectly estimated from accelerometer and mass spectrometer data; the slip flow drag coefficient variation was obtained from an appropriate scaling of existing experimental sphere data. Comparison of the flight derived drag hypersonic continuum flow regime except for Reynolds numbers from 1000 to 100,000, for which an unaccountable difference between flight and ground test data of about 8% existed. The flight derived drag coefficients in the free molecule flow regime were considerably larger than those previously calculated with classical theory. The general character of the previously determined temperature profile was not changed appreciably by the results of this investigation; however, a slightly more symmetrical temperature variation at the highest altitudes was obtained.

Blanchard, R. C.↗

NASA NTRS1975

Joint USAF/NASA hypersonic research aircraft study

A joint USAF/NASA study has developed a conceptual design for a new high-speed research airplane (X-24C) and identified candidate flight research experiments in the Mach 3 to 6 speed range. Four major categories of high priority research experiments are described as well as the X-24C design concept. The vehicle, a rocket-boosted, delta planform aircraft, is air launched from a B-52 and is capable of forty seconds of rocket cruise at Mach 6 with a research scramjet. Research provisions include a dedicated 10-foot long research experiments section, removable fins and strakes, and provisions for testing integrated airbreathing propulsion systems.

F. S. Kirkham↗

NASA NTRS1991

Secondary instability of high-speed flows and the influence of wall cooling and suction

El-Hady, Nabil M.↗

NASA NTRS1992

Secondary instability of high-speed flows and the influence of wall cooling and suction

The periodic streamwise modulation of the supersonic and hypersonic boundary layers by a two dimensional first mode or second mode wave makes the resulting base flow susceptible to a broadband spanwise-periodic three dimensional type of instability. The principal parametric resonance of this instability (subharmonic) was analyzed using Floquet theory. The effect of Mach number and the effectiveness of wall cooling or wall suction in controlling the onset, the growth rate, and the vortical nature of the subharmonic secondary instability are assessed for both a first mode and a second mode primary wave. Results indicate that the secondary subharmonic instability of the insulated wall boundary layer is weakened as Mach number increases. Cooling of the wall destabilizes the secondary subharmonic of a second mode primary wave, but stabilizes it when the primary wave is a first mode. Suction stabilizes the secondary subharmonic at all Mach numbers.

El-Hady, Nabil M.↗

NASA NTRS1992

Secondary instability of high-speed flows and the influence of wall cooling and suction

The periodic streamwise modulation of the supersonic and hypersonic boundary layers by a two-dimensional first-mode or second-mode wave makes the resulting base flow susceptible to a broadband spanwise-periodic three-dimensional type of instability. The principal parametric resonance of this instability (subharmonic) has been analyzed using Floquet theory. The effect of Mach number and the effectiveness of wall cooling or wall suction in controlling the onset, the growth rate, and the vortical structure of the subharmonic secondary instability are assessed for both a first-mode and a second-mode primary wave. Results indicate that the secondary subharmonic instability of an insulated wall boundary layer is weakened as Mach number increases. Cooling of the wall destabilizes the secondary subharmonic of a second-mode primary wave, but stabilizes it when the primary wave is a first mode. Suction stabilizes the secondary subharmonic at all Mach numbers.

El-Hady, Nabil M.↗