Simulation of Support Module Separation in a Hypersonic Flight Experiment

Abstract

Within the HEXAFLY-INT project a high-speed flight experiment is prepared. In the present work the separation of the flight vehicle and its support module is studied numerically. The numerical simulation of the separation has been carried out by coupling a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and a Rigid Body Dynamics (RBD) solver. Rigid body motion is realized by applying the technique of overlapping meshes. Investigated is the ideal separation driven by aerodynamic forces, as well as non-ideal separation taking into account additional rotational and translational velocities induced by non-synchronous activation of the explosive bolts initiating the detachment. The aim of the simulations is to identify critical conditions of the separation process to avoid the collision between glider and support module.