LONGITUDINAL AERODYNAMIC CHARACTERISTICS OF SEVERAL HYPERSONIC AIRCRAFT CONFIGURATIONS AT A MACH NUMBER OF 9.45
Abstract
Wind-tunnel tests were conducted at a Mach number of 9.45 to determine the longitudinal aerodynamic characteristics of several conceptual hypersonic aircraft configurations, consisting of various half-cone-cylinder bodies and double-delta wings. Effects of body volume, vehicle orientation, wing planform, and wing-tip dihedral were determined. In general, the lift-to-drag ratios of all high-wing configurations varied slightly over an angle-of-attack range of 0 degrees to 12 degrees, reaching a maximum value of 2.7 around 6 degrees. On the other hand, the lift-to-drag ratios of all low-wing configurations increased continuously with increasing angle of attack, eventually reaching maximum values of roughly 3.0 near 12 degrees. In all cases, fuselage base drag accounted for less than 4 percent of the total drag. For the arbitrarily chosen center-of-gravity location, all low-wing configurations were unstable, unbalanced, or both; whereas several high-wing configurations were both stable and balanced.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 1966
- Accession Number
- AD0628160
Entities
People
- Bertram K. Ellis
- John R. Krouse