A Study of the Lift-to-Drag Ratio Capability of Caret Wing Waveriders.
Abstract
A simple model of the off design caret wing flow field which includes the effects of an upper expansion surface, skin friction and base drag is proposed. Based on this approximate model, calculations of the lift coefficient, drag coefficient and lift-to-drag ratio as functions of body geometry, incidence, Mach number and Reynolds number are made and the dependence of the aerodynamic coefficients on these variables is identified. A test matrix covering a wide range of caret wings and flight conditions is employed in a search for wings with high lift-to-drag ratio. Caret wing performance is then compared to that of delta wing. Lift-to-drag ratios as high as 6.5 for 5 percent thick wings at free stream Mach number and Reynolds number of 2.0 and 10,000,000 were found. This performance is similar to that of delta wings. However, significantly higher caret wing lift-to-drag ratios could be achieved by replacing the blunt base with an afterbody, thereby reducing the base drag. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 01, 1978
- Accession Number
- ADA053691
Entities
People
- Marshall D. Solomon
Organizations
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology