Ground Test and Computation of Boundary Layer Transition on the Hypersonic International Flight Research and Experimentation (HIFiRE)-5 Vehicle

Abstract

The HIFiRE Flight 5 payload was assessed in the NASA LaRC 20-Inch Mach 6 Air Tunnel. The primary objectives were to determine the boundary layer transition characteristics and the effectiveness trips. Boundary layer profiles were extracted from Navier-Stokes calculations of the flow field, and were used to assess trip heights in terms of typical trip correlating parameters. Leading-edge roughness was well-correlated with the R-bar-star parameter. This correlation was used to extrapolate wind tunnel data to full-scale flight conditions. Boundary layer transition was also studied using Parabolized Stability Equation (PSE) analysis. The stability analysis was conducted on the two symmetry planes of the vehicle. The leading edge planes are expected to follow second mode instability growth. The centerline cases experienced a more complicated growth that was mainly driven by second mode, but also showed higher modes. In particular for the lowest altitude case, the higher modes showed to contribute to the maximum N factor growth. This was caused by the complex boundary layer profile that was induced by a pair of vortices along the centerline of the vehicle.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Feb 01, 2011
Accession Number
ADA548272

Entities

People

  • David Adamczak
  • Karen Berger
  • Roger Kimmel
  • Ryan Gosse
  • Shann Rufer

Organizations

  • Air Force Research Laboratory

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Air Force Research Laboratories
  • Aircrafts
  • Altitude
  • Boundary Layer
  • Boundary Layer Control
  • Boundary Layer Transition
  • Boundary Layer Trips
  • Computational Fluid Dynamics
  • Computations
  • Equations
  • Flow Fields
  • Heat Transfer
  • Leading Edges
  • Three Dimensional
  • Two Dimensional
  • Wind Tunnels

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Fluid Dynamics.
  • Fluid Mechanics and Fluid Dynamics.

Technology Areas

  • Hypersonics
  • Hypersonics - Hypersonic Boundary Layers
  • Hypersonics - Hypersonic Flow