Low speed aerodynamic performance analysis of vortex lift waveriders with a wide-speed range

• Published in: Acta astronautica 2019-08, Vol.161, p.209-221
• Main Authors: Zhao, Zhen-tao, Huang, Wei, Yan, Li, Zhang, Tian-Tian, Li, Shi-bin, Wei, Feng
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aerodynamic configurations; Aerodynamics; Aircraft; Aircraft aerodynamics; Aircraft configurations; Angle of attack; Computational fluid dynamics; Constant swept waverider; Delta wings; Drag; Hypersonic vehicles; K-omega turbulence model; Lift; Low speed; Low speed aerodynamic performance; Osculating cone waverider; Reynolds averaged Navier-Stokes method; Turbulence; Turbulence models; Vortex lift; Vortices; Waveriders; Wide-speed-range vehicle
• ISSN: 0094-5765; 1879-2030
• DOI: 10.1016/j.actaastro.2019.05.029

The wide-speed range characteristics of aerodynamic configuration for aircraft are critical to the design of the hypersonic vehicle, and many novel strategies have been proposed. As one of the valid schemes of aircraft with a wide-speed range, the vortex lift waverider with a wide-speed range has attracted an increasing attention. In the current study, the low speed aerodynamic performance of vortex lift waveriders with a wide-speed range has been investigated numerically by means of the three-dimensional implicit Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations coupled with the SST k-ω turbulence model. At the same time, the numerical approaches employed have been validated against the available experimental data in the open literature. The obtained results show that the low speed lift-to-drag ratio of the cuspidal waverider is higher than that of the general osculating cone waverider, while the low speed lift-to-drag ratio of the delta-winged waverider is lower than that of the general osculating cone waverider except for the small and negative angles of attack. At the same time, the low speed vortex lift characteristics of the three types of osculating cone waveriders have been compares and analyzes, and some valuable conclusions have been obtained. •Low speed aerodynamic performances of vortex lift waveriders were analyzed and compared.•Leading edge vortex lift is an important source of the waverider lift in low-speed flight.•Aerodynamic performance of the cuspidal waverider in low speed range is the best.