Propulsion integration for low-boom supersonic aircraft requires careful inlet selection, placement, and tailoring to achieve acceptable propulsive and aerodynamic performance, without compromising vehicle sonic boom loudness levels. In this investigation, an inward-turning streamline-traced and axisymmetric spike inlet are designed and independently installed on a conceptual low-boom supersonic demonstrator aircraft. The airframe was pre-shaped to achieve a target ground under-track loudness of 76.4 PLdB at cruise using an adjoint-based design optimization process. Aircraft and inlet performance characteristics were obtained by solution of the steady-state Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations. Isolated cruise inlet performance including total pressure recovery and distortion were computed and compared against installed inlet performance metrics. Evaluation of vehicle near-field pressure signatures, along with under- and off-track propagated loudness levels is also reported. Results indicate the integrated axisymmetric spike design offers higher inlet pressure recovery, lower fan distortion, and reduced sonic boom. The vehicle with streamline-traced inlet exhibits lower external wave drag, which translates to a higher lift-to-drag ratio and increased range capability.
Inlet Trade Study for a Low-Boom Aircraft Demonstrator
2016 AIAA Aviation Forum and Exposition ; 2017 ; Washington, DC, United States
2016-06-13
Miscellaneous
No indication
English
Inlet Trade Study for a Low-Boom Aircraft Demonstrator
Online Contents | 2017
|Inlet Trade Study for a Low Boom Aircraft Demonstrator
AIAA | 2016
|Inlet Trade Study for a Low-Boom Aircraft Demonstrator
AIAA | 2016
|Inlet Trade Study for a Low-Boom Aircraft Demonstrator
Online Contents | 2016
|Inlet Trade Study for a Low Boom Aircraft Demonstrator (AIAA 2016-4050)
British Library Conference Proceedings | 2016
|