Comparison between Methods of Generation of Waveriders Derived from Streamline Tracing and Simplified Method

Abstract

Waverider with a high lift-to-drag ratio has drawn an ever increasing attention. Usually, waverider is obtained by tracing streamline. A simplified generation method of waverider is introduced in the present paper named geometric relations method. Three groups of cone-derived waverider configuration, respectively, based on the geometric relations method and the streamline tracing method are generated for the comparisons of the shape factors, inviscid aerodynamic characteristics, and flow field structures by investigating the numerical simulation results. The results show that the effect of the Mach number and the shock angle on the differences caused by the two methods are not significantly different. While the volumetric efficiency of the waverider configuration based on the geometric relations method is larger than those based on the streamline tracing, the inviscid lift-to-drag ratio of the former is less than the latter. Although the geometric relations method is much easier than the streamline tracing method, the simplified method reduces the aerodynamic performance of the waverider configuration.