Abstract
Unmanned flying-test bed aircraft are fundamental to experimentally prove and validate next-generation high-speed technologies, such as aeroshapes design, thermal protection materials, flight mechanics, and guidance–navigation–control in real flight conditions. During the test, the aircraft will encounter realistic operative conditions to assess the accuracy of new design choices and solutions. In this framework, the paper focuses on the longitudinal aerodynamic analysis of an experimental aircraft, with a spatuled forebody aeroshape, from subsonic up to hypersonic speeds. Computational flowfield analyses are carried out at several angles of attack ranging from 0 to 15º and for Mach numbers from 0.1 to 7. Results are reported in detail and discussed in the paper.
Similar content being viewed by others
Data availability
No datasets were generated or analysed during the current study.
References
Bertin, J.J., Cummings, R.M.: Fifty years of hypersonics: where we’ve been, where we’re going. Prog. Aerosp. Sci. 39(6–7), 511–536 (2003)
McClinton, C. R., Rausch, V. L., Nguyen, L. T., Sitz, J. R., “Preliminary X-43 flight test results”, Acta Astronautica, Volume 57, Issues 2–8, 2005, Pages 266–276, ISSN 0094–5765, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actaastro.2005.03.060.
Jeyaratnam, J., Bykerk, T., Verstraete, D.: Low speed stability analysis of a hypersonic vehicle design using CFD and wind tunnel testing. In: 21st AIAA International Space Planes and Hypersonics Technologies Conference, Hypersonics 2017, 10 (2017). https://doi.org/10.2514/6.2017-2223.
Bykerk, T., Verstraete, D., Steelant, J.: Low speed lateral-directional dynamic stability analysis of a hypersonic waverider using unsteady Reynolds averaged Navier Stokes forced oscillation simulations. Aerosp. Sci. Technol. 106, 106228 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ast.2020.106228
Viviani, A., Aprovitola, A., Pezzella, G., Rainone C.: CFD design capabilities for next generation high-speed aircraft. Acta Astronaut. 178, 143–158 (2021) (ISSN: 0094–5765). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actaastro.2020.09.006. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0094576520305439
Bykerk, T., Pezzella, G., Verstraete, D., Viviani, A.: High and low speed analysis of a re-usable unmanned re-entry vehicle. HISST. International Conference on High-Speed Vehicle Science and Technology. Moscow. Russia. hisst-2018_1620897 (2018)
Bykerk, T., Pezzella, G., Verstraete, D., Viviani, A.: Lateral-directional aerodynamics of a re-usable re-entry vehicle. In: 8th European Conference for Aeronautics and Space Sciences (Eucass-2019), Madrid (2019)
Scigliano, R., Pezzella, G., Di Benedetto, S., Marini, M., Steelant, J.: Hexafly-int experimental flight test vehicle (EFTV) aero-thermal design. In: Proceedings of the ASME 2017 International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition IMECE 2017. November 3–9, 2017, Tampa, Florida, USA. ASME 2017 International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition Volume 1: Advances in Aerospace Technology Tampa, Florida, USA, November 3–9, 2017. Conference Sponsors: ASME. ISBN: 978-0-7918-5834-9. Paper No. IMECE2017–70392, pp. V001T03A022; 14 pages. https://doi.org/10.1115/IMECE2017-70392
Schettino, A., Pezzella, G., Marini, M., Di Benedetto, S., Villace, V.F., Steelant, J., Choudhury, R., Gubanov, A., Voevodenko, N.: Aerodynamic database of the HEXAFLY-INT hypersonic glider. CEAS Space J 12(2), 295–311 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12567-020-00299-4
Viviani, A., Aprovitola, A., Iuspa, L., Pezzella, G.: Aeroshape design of reusable re-entry vehicles by multidisciplinary optimization and computational fluid dynamics. Aerosp. Sci. Technol. (2020). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ast.2020.106029. (ISSN: 1270-9638)
Viviani, A., Aprovitola, A., Iuspa, L., Pezzella, G.: Low speed longitudinal aerodynamics of a blended wing-body re-entry vehicle. Aerosp. Sci. Technol. (2020). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ast.2020.106303. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1270963820309858. (ISSN: 1270-9638)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Contributions
A.V. wrote the main manuscript text and G.P. prepared all figures. All authors reviewed the manuscript.
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
The authors declare no competing interests.
Additional information
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
About this article
Cite this article
Pezzella, G., Viviani, A. Analysis of Subsonic/Hypersonic Aerodynamics of a High-Speed Aircraft. Aerotec. Missili Spaz. (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42496-024-00211-x
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s42496-024-00211-x