Critical Flow Phenomena on the Winglet of Winged Reentry Vehicles

Abstract

The present paper investigates the critical heating phenomena at the winglet of winged reentry vehicles. The study is restricted to flow situations without bow shock winglet interactions. It is found that attachment line heating on the leading edge of the winglet and on the lower edge of the rudder can be predicted with a Navier-Stokes code. The simulations reveal a strong sensitivity with respect to the angle of attack. Additionally, significant differences between wind tunnel and free flight conditions are observed and examined. The validity of engineering models to predict heating rates during preliminary design cycles is also investigated.