HIFiRE-1 and HIFiRE-5 Test Results

Abstract

The primary experiment for HIFiRE-1 was to measure boundary-layer transition in hypersonic flight on a 7 degree half-angle, axisymmetric cone with a 2.5 mm radius bluntness. A secondary experiment measured mean and fluctuating pressure, and heat transfer on a cylinder-33-degreee-flare geometry. The ascent provided smooth-body, low angle-of-attack, boundary-layer transition at Mach numbers greater than 5. The end of turbulent-to-laminar transition occurred at Reynolds numbers between 10.3 to 12.2 million. Second-mode N-factors of approximately 14 correlated transition. A diamond-shaped trip retained turbulent flow until reaching a roughness Reynolds number Rekk = 2200. During re-entry, transition was measured around the circumference of the cone at Reynolds numbers ranging from 3 million on the leeside to 5 million on the windward side. In the shock-boundary layer interaction, maximum sound pressure levels of 173 dB were recorded upstream of the flare, and 185 dB on the flare itself. The principal goal of HIFiRE-5 was to measure hypersonic boundary layer transition on an elliptic cone. The second stage booster failed to ignite, so the experiment reached a maximum Mach number of only 3. Nevertheless, supersonic pressure and temperature data were obtained under laminar and turbulent flow, and flight systems were validated. Traveling and stationary crossflow instabilities were clearly measured for HIFiRE-5 in ground test in a quiet flow tunnel. The frequency, phase speed, and wave angle were all in good agreement with computations.

Open PDF

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Feb 01, 2014
Accession Number
ADA605731

Entities

People

  • David Adamczak
  • Matthew Borg
  • Roger L. Kimmel
  • Scott Stanfield
  • Thomas J. Juliano

Organizations

  • Air Force Research Laboratory

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Sensors
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Boundary Layer
  • Boundary Layer Transition
  • Computational Fluid Dynamics
  • Computational Science
  • Coordinate Systems
  • Fluid Dynamics
  • Fluid Flow
  • Geometry
  • Heat Transfer
  • Mach Number
  • Measurement
  • Pressure Distribution
  • Pressure Measurement
  • Reynolds Number
  • Turbulent Flow
  • Wind Tunnels

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Aerodynamics/Aeronautics.
  • Fluid Mechanics and Fluid Dynamics.

Technology Areas

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