Aerodynamic conceptual design for a wing-body transporter

Paper number

IAC-06-D2.P.2.08

Author

Dr. Wei Tang, China Aerodynamics Research and Development Center, China

Year

2006

Abstract

Space exploration is extremely expensive, and one of the rational and feasible approaches to decrease the cost of unit effective payload is the reusability of launch vehicle. Wing-body vehicles may have high hypersonic lift-to-drag ratio (L/D) which is of great benefit to increase the landing precision and maneuverability, enlarge the flight corridor, decrease the peak heat flux and the over load, and makes pointed horizontal landing, cost-effective, high reliable and totally reusable possible. 
Using Spline Lofting design process, together with the introduction of conic shape parameters, various conic cross sections and longitudinal forms of a vehicle can be constructed rapidly, conveniently and accurately. A wing-body transporter is conceptually designed and parameterized in terms of totally 10 conic control points and shape parameters using 6 conic segments in transverse direction and 2 in longitudinal. An engineering model based on embedded Newtonian theory is developed to estimate the longitudinal and the transverse hypersonic aerodynamic characteristics, the correctness and effectiveness of this method are validated by the comparison with Space Shuttle database ADDB. A multi-objective Genetic Algorithm (MGA) based on niche technique is presented to generate Pareto solutions of a configuration optimization model for the wing-body, which is to maximum the lift-to-drag ratio and the volume utility with the restrictions of geometric limits, trimming condition, stability margins and trimming lift. An optimized configuration is selected and the corresponding aerodynamic characteristics are investigated. The location of the center of gravity is very important for the stable trimming of the vehicle, and the relationship between the mass center and the center of pressure for demanded trimming is presented. The lateral direction stability is vital for the normal flight of the vehicle, and a pair of V-shape vertical tail is designed to ensure the static and the dynamic stabilities in both yawing direction and rolling direction. And finally the flight performance of this wing-body transporter is simulated coupling 6-D trajectory and aerodynamics. 
The present work indicates this design method, which is composed of configuration parameterization using conic lofting technique, aerodynamic prediction, optimization, trajectory simulation and decision-making, may increase the design efficiency, decrease the computational price, and make it easier for the further applications of CFD, CAD and MDO during the conceptual design process. The analyses shown that the optimized wing-body vehicle is one of the potential choices for reentry transporter, and worth to be investigated further in the future.

Abstract document

IAC-06-D2.P.2.08.pdf

Manuscript document

IAC-06-D2.P.2.08.pdf (🔒 authorized access only).

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