Jet Control Effectiveness Studies on a Flat-Plate Body at Hypersonic Speeds

Abstract

The effects of jet control on the aerodynamic characteristics and performance of a flat-plate body configuration have been studied experimentally. The study has been carried out in a hypersonic gun tunnel at a Mach number of 8.2 and a Reynolds number of 1,900,000, based on the flat-plate length-chord, using both sharp and blunted leading edges, at pitch angles 0, −5 and −10 deg. Air was used as the working gas for both the free stream and the sonic jet. The tests employed schlieren photography to study the overall flow field. Quantitative studies of the effect of the jet have been made by pressure measurements. The results were compared with numerical simulations performed using a 3-D time-marching Navier-Stokes code. Theoretical algorithms have been developed to predict the shape of the separation front and jet penetration height. The parameters, which determine the upstream extent and lateral spreading of the separation front around the transverse jet, and the magnitude of the separated region, are detailed.