Development of a Scaling Technique for Duplication of In-Flight Aerodynamic Heat Flux Distribution in Ground Test Facilities

Abstract

In an attempt to extend the capability of TNO’s test facility into a Thermal Wind Tunnel for direct duplication of the in-flight heat flux distribution on supersonic and hypersonic vehicles, an aerodynamic heating scaling technique has been developed which will be described in the present paper. The developed aerodynamic heating scaling technique is based on the analytical equations for convective heat transfer for laminar and turbulent boundary layers that follow from applying the Reynolds analogy which can be used for early experimental verification and CFD validation purposes. Assuming a vehicle flying Mach 6 at 32 km altitude (e.g. like the SHyFE vehicle) the aerodynamic heating scaling technique is developed starting from an elementary isothermal cold flat plate at zero angle of attack and subsequent introduction of wall temperature effects, geometrical scaling effects and angle of attack effects. The presented results show that for the geometrically simple configurations under consideration it is possible to fully duplicate simultaneously the Stanton number and heat flux distribution in a high enthalpy facility at a Mach number significantly lower than the flight Mach number.