Aerodynamic drag reduction effects of an on‐axis electric‐arc airspike have been investigated in Mach 10 flow using RPI’s 24‐inch Hypersonic Shock Tunnel (HST). The long‐range purpose of this study is to examine the feasibility of airspike‐augmented flight for future transatmospheric vehicles. The research objective was to characterize airspike phenomena as a function of input arc power (0 to 50‐kW) for a 6‐inch diameter blunt‐body with a fixed arc‐to‐forebody separation of 6.38 inches. An array of lead‐acid batteries supplied power for the self‐sustaining discharge. The joint experimental/ numerical investigation began with the acquisition of a substantial experimental database — against which CFD simulations could be calibrated. The results correlated very well. The HST tests were conducted under low enthalpy, ‘ideal gas’ conditions with a stagnation pressure of 260‐psia and total temperature of 560‐K. A fast response PCB accelerometer measured drag forces on the blunt‐body model during 1–5 ms of ‘unrestrained’ motion; the model was loosely suspended by four wires. Luminosity photographs of each test were recorded on 35‐mm film and Digital Video (DV) to document the airspike’s hypersonic flow structure. The CFD investigation modeled the airspike‐equipped blunt body under identical flow conditions, assuming an arc‐to‐body gap of one vehicle diameter. Results from both experimental data and CFD predictions indicate a 60–70% reduction in drag force compared with the blunt body, power‐off case.
Experimental and Computational Investigation of Drag Reduction by Electric‐Arc Airspikes at Mach 10
BEAMED ENERGY PROPULSION: Third International Symposium on Beamed Energy Propulsion ; 2004 ; Troy, New York (USA)
AIP Conference Proceedings ; 766 , 1 ; 499-513
2005-04-27
15 pages
Conference paper
Electronic Resource
English
EXPERIMENTAL/ COMPUTATIONAL INVESTIGATION OF DRAG REDUCTION BY ELECTRIC-ARC AIRSPIKES AT MACH 10
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