ABSTRACT: This work presents a computational tool for preliminary analysis of hypersonic vehicles, based on local surface inclination methods: the HipeX. This program was developed for reading standard triangulation language (STL) geometry files and calculating pressure coefficient and temperature distributions over vehicle’s surface using the Newtonian, modified Newtonian or tangent-wedge methods. Validations were made with a cylinder and a sphere, where only the Newtonian method was applied, and with experimental data from Apollo capsule at Mach 10, where the Newtonian and the modified Newtonian methods were applied. These validations presented the code capability to read geometries as well as to estimate aerodynamic force coefficients. A preliminary application was to predict the aerodynamic force coefficients of a generic hypersonic vehicle over constant dynamic pressure trajectories of 23,940, 60,000 and 95,760 N/m2 with zero angle of attack. With a fixed dynamic pressure of 60,000 N/m2, this vehicle was tested over several Mach numbers and with angle of attack variation from -10 to 10 deg. Zero angle of attack investigation showed minor changes on the force coefficients with altitude, while the variation of angle of attack produced more pronounced variations on these parameters. Maximum flow temperatures over vehicle’s surface were estimated ranging from 850 to 5,315 K.

ABSTRACT: Recently, there has been a growing interest in studies concerning ionization sensors for aerospace applications, power generation, and fundamental research. In aerospace research, they have been used for studies of shock and detonation waves. Two key features of these sensors are their short response time, of the order of microseconds, and the fact that they are activated when exposed to high temperature air. In this sense, the present paper describes the development of an ionization sensor to be used in shock tube facilities. The sensor consists of 2 thorium-tungsten electrodes insulated by ceramic, with a stainless steel adapter for proper mounting, as well as 2 copper seal rings. An electrical circuit was also built with 2 main purposes: to provide the electrodes with a sufficient large voltage difference in order to ease ionization of the air and to assure a short time response of the sensor. The tests were carried out in a shock tube with the objective of observing the response of the sensor under stagnation conditions. For that, we chose initial driven pressures of 1.0; 1.2 and 1.5 kgf/cm2, with a constant driver pressure equal to 70 kgf/cm2. We analyzed the response of the sensor as a function of the initial driven pressure, stagnation temperature, and density. For the studied conditions, the results showed that the mean amplitude of the ionization sensor signal varied from 8.29 to 19.70 mV.

Abstract This paper presents a research in the development of the 14-X hypersonic airspace vehicle at Institute for Advanced Studies (IEAv) from Department of Science and Aerospace Technology (DCTA) of the Brazilian Air Force (FAB). The 14-X project objective is to develop a higher efficient satellite launch alternative, using a Supersonic Combustion Ramjet (SCRAMJET) engine and waverider aerodynamics. For this development, the waverider technology is under investigation in Prof. Henry T. Nagamatsu Aerothermodynamics and Hypersonics Laboratory (LHTN), in IEAv/DCTA. The investigation has been conducted through ground test campaigns in Hypersonic Shock Tunnel T3. The 14-X Waverider Vehicle characteristic was verified in shock tunnel T3 where surface static pressures and pitot pressure for Mach number 10 were measured and, using Schlieren photographs Diagnostic Method, it was possible to identify a leading-edge attached shock wave in 14-X lower surface.