Aerothermodynamic Study of Ultrahigh-Temperature Ceramic Winglet for Atmospheric Reentry Test

Abstract

This paper deals with the aerothermodynamic analysis of an advanced concept of hot structure to be investigated at atmospheric reentry conditions. The paper gives a general description of the hot structure architecture and performs an aerothermodynamic analysis to optimize the winglet configuration, based on an ultrahigh-temperature ceramics leading edge able to withstand very high temperatures. Three-dimensional fluid-dynamic computations are carried out to evaluate the aerothermal loads on the winglet. The physical model includes viscous effects, real gas properties, nonequilibrium chemical reactions and surface catalytic effects. The numerical model has been validated by experimental results of two- and three-dimensional hypersonic flowfields. A thermal model of the structure has been implemented to predict the temperature of the winglet during reentry. The results are discussed with reference to the effects of the thermal interaction with the capsule skin, the relevance of thermal conduction inside the structure, and the transient methodology. The effect of different assumptions on the ultrahigh-temperature ceramics catalytic properties is discussed.