Experimental Study on Aerodynamic Characteristics of Hypersonic Transport Configuration

An experimental study has been made on aerodynamics of a cruising type hypersonic transport configuration, assuming to cruise at a height of 30km at Mach number 7. The hypersonic flow over the double-delta wing which is a basic wing shape of HST has been investigated. The results of the flow visualization (oilflow, vapor screen, etc.) and the quantitative measurements (static pressure and heat transfer) show that the vortices of the leeward side of the double-delta wing influence on aerodynamic forces, and that they are associated with the intence local heating along the centerline. From the wind tunnel test of the HST model at Mach number 7, it is confirmed that the geometry of the model almost satisfies the requirements of aerodynamic characteristics under hypersonic cruising. In parallel with the experiments, a basic study on aerothermodynamic control of the performance has been made. The results show that the static pressure rises with heat addition to the stream beneath the afterbody of the HST, and suggest possibility of improving lift-to-drag ratio.