Aerodynamic performance analysis of an unmanned re-entry vehicle from Hypersonic down to subsonic regime
- Paper number
IAC-12,D2,3,4,x14256
- Author
Dr. Giuseppe Pezzella, CIRA Italian Aerospace Research Centre, Italy
- Coauthor
Prof. Antonio Viviani*, Seconda Universita' di Napoli, Italy
- Year
2012
- Abstract
This paper deals with the aerodynamic performance analysis of a winged unmanned re-entry vehicle from Hypersonic down to subsonic regime. To this end both engineering-based and CFD design methods have been considered to assess vehicle aerodynamics characteristics for flight mechanics and thermo-mechanics design purposes. Such a vehicle shall re-enter the atmosphere allowing to perform a number of experiments on critical re-entry technologies. Indeed, thermo-chemical non-equilibrium CFD simulations are performed at several discrete points of the re-entry trajectory according to the trajectory-based design approach. The range between Mach 2 and Mach 25 was analyzed. In the present analysis rarefied and continuum regime (supersonic and hypersonic speed ranges) with the air modeled as a mixture of five and/or eleven species has been studied. A summary review of the aerodynamic characteristics of the vehicle concept is performed and reported in the paper. An analysis of the longitudinal and lateral-directional stability has been also provided. In the paper some of the main interesting flowfield features obtained for the concept vehicle are shown.
- Abstract document
- Manuscript document
IAC-12,D2,3,4,x14256.pdf (🔒 authorized access only).
To get the manuscript, please contact IAF Secretariat.