HEXAFLY-INT: An Overview of Waverider Subsonic Investigations

Abstract

Hypersonic waveriders have the potential to significantly reduce travel times on long haul civilian transport routes. The design of hypersonic aircraft is heavily influenced by the aerodynamic efficiency at the cruise Mach number, resulting in less than ideal geometries for subsonic flight. Waverider aerodynamics and stability in the low speed regime is rarely investigated and not well understood, but is crucial for horizontal take-offs and landings. This paper gives an overview of all work completed within the HEXAFLY-INT project with respect to subsonic investigations. It covers a wide range of static and dynamic wind tunnel tests in the longitudinal and lateral-directional planes. The experimental investigations are complemented by in depth numerical computations which validate the experimental data. It was found that flow separation, non-linear vortex lift and subsequent bursting at high angles of attack govern the aircraft stability derivaties. This is due to the low aspect ratio, highly swept delta wings which are present on the vehicle, as well as sharp edges which give rise to high pressure gradients at moderate angles of attack.