HIGH RADIATION-INDUCED ABLATION OF A FLAT PLATE IN HYPERSONIC FLOW.
Abstract
An analysis for the flow configuration above a rapidly ablating semi-infinite flat plate is presented. When the surface mass-transfer rate is such that the ablation mass flow becomes a significant fraction of the free-stream mass flow, the boundary layer separates from the surface and the flow field can be approximated by (1) the inviscid flow of injected material, (2) an inviscid external hypersonic flow, and (3) a hypothetical contact surface dividing the two inviscid flows. The external heat input is radiation, and the external flow is assumed to be describable by Newtonian flow theory which yields the pressure distribution on the contact surface. It is also assumed that the ablated material leaves the surface normal to it, and the ablating gas is compressible and radiant-energy absorbing. At each step in the calculation some of the incoming radiation is neglected since it must arrive through parts of the ablative gas whose geometry and physical properties have not been yet determined. Numerical solutions are obtained by a marching technique, and instabilities are smoothed by using a numerical filtering procedure. Results are presented for different values of the external radiation input, properties of the ablation material, and free-stream conditions.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 1966
- Accession Number
- AD0825415
Entities
People
- Anthony N. Pirri
- Leon Schindel
- W. Bryan Brooks
Organizations
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology