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Full-Text Articles in Aerospace Engineering

An Optimization Procedure To Design Nozzle Contours For Hypersonic Wind Tunnels, Omar Antonio Dominguez Dec 2023

An Optimization Procedure To Design Nozzle Contours For Hypersonic Wind Tunnels, Omar Antonio Dominguez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Supersonic wind tunnels allow scientists and researchers to evaluate and analyze the behaviors of objects under real-life conditions when subjected to supersonic speeds. One of the main complexities when building a wind tunnel is the design of the convergent-divergent nozzle that is used to produce high-speed and high-quality flows. To achieve supersonic speeds, this nozzle adopts a specialized approach that incorporates the complexities of flow compressibility. The compressible effect is accurately evaluated using isentropic relations, allowing for precise determination of stagnation pressure and temperature, and static pressure and temperature relevant to the desired Mach number. Isentropic equations used to define …


Boundary Layer Measurements On The Bolt Ii Geometry Using Pressure And Temperature Sensitive Paints, Jacob Gaetano Butera Aug 2023

Boundary Layer Measurements On The Bolt Ii Geometry Using Pressure And Temperature Sensitive Paints, Jacob Gaetano Butera

Masters Theses

Hypersonic vehicles are subjected to an extreme aerothermodynamic environment dominated by intense thermal loading which is amplified further when the local boundary layer state transitions from a laminar to a turbulent state. Due to weight and complexity considerations, it is not feasible to incorporate thermal protection systems (TPS) over an entire hypersonic body. Therefore, it is critically important to identify and predict where the boundary layer will undergo transition such that the thermal protection system can be focused on the most at-risk areas. This work attempts to observe boundary layer transition on the Boundary Layer Transition (BOLT) II flight test …


Computational Analysis Of Steady Hypersonic Flow Fields Of Nasa Benchmark Geometries Utilizing Ansys Fluent, Aidan Murphy May 2023

Computational Analysis Of Steady Hypersonic Flow Fields Of Nasa Benchmark Geometries Utilizing Ansys Fluent, Aidan Murphy

McKelvey School of Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The Hypersonic International Flight Research Experimentation (HIFiRE) program explores and advances hypersonic aerospace systems by developing a multitude of test flight geometries and conducting experimental test flights to obtain data for use in validation of computational models and results. This study focuses on computational validation of heat flux, and calculation of static pressure profiles, skin friction coefficient profiles, and flow contours. The flow fields studied are for Mach number 7.18 and angles of attack (α) of 0° & 2°. These flow fields include many compressible flow features such as an expansion wave at the intersection of the cone and flat …


An Experimental Investigation Of The Effect Of Narrowband Freestream Noise On Fundamental Transitional Shockwave-Boundary Layer Interaction Mechanisms, Zane Matthew Shoppell May 2023

An Experimental Investigation Of The Effect Of Narrowband Freestream Noise On Fundamental Transitional Shockwave-Boundary Layer Interaction Mechanisms, Zane Matthew Shoppell

Masters Theses

Recent work at the University of Tennessee Space Institute has demonstrated that the resonant behavior observed in the spectra of cylinder- and blunt-fin-generated XSBLIs is connected to fundamental fluid mechanisms within the boundary layer. Therefore, a test campaign was conducted to characterize the fundamental mechanisms that drive the low-frequency unsteadiness in cylinder- and blunt-fin-generated shockwave-boundary layer interactions, specifically shockwave-boundary layer interactions in which the incoming boundary layer is undergoing a laminar-to-turbulent transition. This research aims to develop a deeper understanding of such interactions and characterize the resonant behavior observed in past work by varying the sweepback angle of a hemicylindrical …


Hypersonic Scramjet Inlet Development For Variable Mach Number Flows, Zachary P. White Jan 2023

Hypersonic Scramjet Inlet Development For Variable Mach Number Flows, Zachary P. White

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Hypersonic propulsion has become an increasingly important research field over the past fifty years, and subsequent interest in propulsion systems utilizing supersonic combustion has emerged. Air-breathing engines are desirable for such applications as hypersonic flight vehicles would not need to carry an oxidizer. Therefore, hypersonic air-breathing propulsion systems require an inlet with high mass capture and compressive efficiency. The present work seeks to outline the development and validation of a novel design tool for producing air inlet designs for hypersonic vehicles at variable flight conditions. A Busemann inlet was chosen for its high compressive efficiency, geometric flexibility, and existing experimental …