CFD Analysis of Tile-Repair Augers for the Shuttle Orbiter Re-Entry Aeroheating
A three-dimensional aerothermodynamic model of the shuttle orbiter's tile overlay repair (TOR) sub-assembly is presented. This sub-assembly, which is an overlay that covers the damaged tiles, is modeled as a protuberance with a constant thickness. The washers and augers that serve as the overlay fasteners are modeled as cylindrical protuberances with constant thicknesses. Entry aerothermodynamic cases are studied to provide necessary inputs for future thermal analyses and to support the space-shuttle return-to-flight effort. The NASA Langley Aerothermodynamic Upwind Relaxation Algorithm (LAURA) is used to calculate heat transfer rate on the surfaces of the tile overlay repair and augers. Gas flow is modeled as non-equilibrium, five species air in thermal equilibrium. Heat transfer rate and surface temperatures are analyzed and studied for a shuttle orbiter trajectory point at Mach 17.85. Computational results show that the average heat transfer rate normalized with respect to its value at body point 1800 is about BF=1.9 for the auger head. It is also shown that the average BF for the auger and washer heads is about BF=2.0.