Aerodynamic Heating Prediction Tool For Generic Geometries in Aerospace Applications

Abstract

In the preliminary design phase of supersonic aircraft, rapid iteration and evaluation of aerodynamic characteristics are considered crucial. To streamline this process and reduce dependence on time-consuming CFD analyses, a prediction tool for aerodynamic heating has been developed. The aim of this study is to create a versatile tool that accurately estimates aerodynamic heating on aircraft surfaces during conceptual design stages. Specific analytical solutions and experimental correlations are utilized by the tool to calculate wall temperature, heat transfer coefficient, and heat flux for characteristic geometries such as wedges, cones, and flat plates. Implemented in MATLAB, the tool provides time-dependent predictions incorporating flight mission data or steady-state predictions for subsonic, transonic, or supersonic aircraft. Various shock configurations, including oblique and detached shocks over wedge and cone geometries, are considered by the tool, with a focus on detecting detached shock formations, which are critical for cone-shaped structures. Application scenarios include modeling the nose as a cone, leading edges as wedges, and wings/fuselages as flat plates, accommodating diverse high-velocity flow conditions. The tool's reliability and applicability for practical design iterations are ensured through validation against CFD analyses and flight test data, offering significant time and cost savings in the preliminary design of supersonic aircraft. Shock angles on wedge and cone geometries are found to be quite similar, though a notable difference of about 5° is observed in the 40° semi-angle cone shape between the prediction tool and CFD results. The temperature difference between the developed prediction tool and CFD results for the wedge geometry is approximately 2% at Mach 3, with other scenarios showing maximum temperature differences of 1-2%. For example, in the related reference study, although the results of the developed tool and CFD analyses were close to the flight data, the total duration of the CFD analysis was 130 hours, whereas a solution was achieved by the tool in approximately 1-3 minutes. This remarkable efficiency is underscored by the tool's effectiveness and practicality, demonstrating that the objectives of this thesis have been successfully achieved.