Aerospace Engineering Commons^™

Multifidelity Comparison Of Supersonic Wave Drag Prediction Methods Using Axisymmetric Bodies †, Troy Abraham, David Lazzara, Douglas Hunsaker

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Student Publications and Presentations

Low-fidelity analytic and computational wave drag prediction methods assume linear aerodynamics and small perturbations to the flow. Hence, these methods are typically accurate for only very slender geometries. The present work assesses the accuracy of these methods relative to high-fidelity Euler, compressible computational-fluid-dynamics solutions for a set of axisymmetric geometries with varying radius-to-length ratios (R/L). Grid-resolution studies are included for all computational results to ensure grid-resolved results. Results show that the low-fidelity analytic and computational methods match the Euler CFD predictions to around a single drag count (~1.0 × 10^–4) for geometries with R/L ≤ 0.05 …

Sonic Boom Loudness Reduction Through Localized Supersonic Aircraft Equivalent-Area Changes, Troy A. Abraham

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The NASA University Leadership Initiative (ULI) titled “Adaptive Aerostructures for Revolutionary Civil Supersonic Transportation” looks to study the feasibility of distributed structural adaptivity on a supersonic aircraft for maintaining acceptable en-route sonic boom loudness during overland flight. The ULI includes a team of industry and university partners that are working together to develop and implement the systems necessary to accomplish this goal.

The Utah State University Aerolab is a member of this ULI team and has been tasked with developing and using low-fidelity supersonic aerodynamic and sonic boom predictions tools to rapidly study the effects of localized geometry changes on …

Near-Field Pressure Signature Splicing For Low-Fidelity Design Space Exploration Of Supersonic Aircraft, Christian R. Bolander, Douglas F. Hunsaker

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Student Publications and Presentations

As interest in supersonic overland flight intensifies, new ways to meet government restrictions on sonic boom loudness must be implemented. Low-fidelity aerodynamic tools, such as PANAIR, can estimate the near-field pressure signature that ultimately determines the loudness of the sonic boom at the ground. These tools can greatly benefit the exploration of large design spaces due to their computational efficiency. One of the limitations of low-fidelity tools is the accuracy of the solution produced, which is dependent on the fundamental physical assumptions made in the development of the governing equations. If flow patterns are produced that severely violate these fundamental …