Electric‐arc airspike experiments were performed with a 1.25‐inch diameter blunt body in the vacuum‐driven Mach 3 wind tunnel at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Schlieren movies at 30‐Hz frame rate were recorded of the airspike flowfields, revealing substantial evolution over the 6‐second run durations. Arc powers up to 2‐kW were delivered into the airspike by an arc‐welding power supply, using zirconiated tungsten electrodes. Aerodynamic drag was measured with a piezo‐electric load cell, revealing reductions up to 70% when the airspike was energized. The test article was a small‐scale model of the Mercury lightcraft, a laser‐propelled transatmospheric vehicle designed to transport one‐person into orbit. Numerical modeling of this airspike is based on the Euler gasdynamic equations for conditions identical to those tested in the RPI supersonic tunnel. Excellent agreement between the shock wave shapes given by first‐order asymptotic theory, numerical modeling, and experiment is demonstrated. Results of the numerical modeling confirm both the significant drag reduction potential and the energy efficiency of the airspike concept.


    Access

    Check access

    Check availability in my library

    Order at Subito €


    Export, share and cite



    Title :

    Combined Experimental and Numerical Investigation of Electric‐Arc Airspikes For Blunt Body at Mach 3


    Contributors:

    Conference:

    BEAMED ENERGY PROPULSION: Third International Symposium on Beamed Energy Propulsion ; 2004 ; Troy, New York (USA)


    Published in:

    AIP Conference Proceedings ; 766 , 1 ; 528-541


    Publication date :

    2005-04-27


    Size :

    14 pages





    Type of media :

    Conference paper


    Type of material :

    Electronic Resource


    Language :

    English



    COMBINED EXPERIMENTAL/ NUMERICAL INVESTIGATION OF ELECTRIC-ARC AIRSPIKES FOR BLUNT BODY AT MACH 3

    Misiewicz, C. / Myrabo, L. N. / Shneider, M. N. et al. | British Library Conference Proceedings | 2004


    Combined Experimental and Numerical Investigation of Electric-Arc Airspikes for Blunt Body at Mach 3

    Misiewicz, C. / Myrabo, L. N. / Shneider, M. N. et al. | British Library Conference Proceedings | 2005



    Experimental Investigation of Blunt Body at Mach 8

    Toro, P. G. P. / Minucci, M. A. S. / Ramos, A. G. et al. | British Library Conference Proceedings | 2001


    Experimental pressure investigation of blunt body at Mach 8

    Toro, P. / Minucci, M. / Ramos, A. et al. | AIAA | 2001