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Optimisation of round bodies for aerodynamic performance and stability at supersonic speeds

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 January 2016

W. Jiajan
Affiliation:
Nanyang Technological University, Aerospace Engineering, School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Singapore
R. S. M. Chue*
Affiliation:
Nanyang Technological University, Aerospace Engineering, School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Singapore
T. Nguyen
Affiliation:
Nanyang Technological University, Aerospace Engineering, School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Singapore
S. Yu
Affiliation:
Nanyang Technological University, Aerospace Engineering, School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Singapore

Abstract

An optimisation procedure coupled with computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is proposed to minimise the aerodynamic drag and to improve the static and dynamic stabilities of generic rounds at supersonic speeds (Mach 1·5 to 4). First, the Active-set algorithm, Sequential Quadratic Programming (SQP) is used as the optimisation method for drag minimisation. The objective function is the zero-lift drag computed from a semi-empirical solution. The constraints are based on the geometric restrictions of the body. CFD is then employed to validate the accuracy of the drag prediction from the semi-empirical solution and to incorporate the stability requirements into the optimisation process. A supersonic round body is considered as an example application. The optimised body provides up to 15% drag reduction and 46% increase in gyroscopic stability while remaining dynamically stable over the whole range of the operating Mach numbers.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Royal Aeronautical Society 2013 

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