Fluid-Thermal Response of Spherical Dome Under a Mach 6.59 Laminar Boundary Layer

Abstract

The coupledfluid–thermal response of a nominally rigid aluminum spherical dome fixed to a ceramic panel holder placed in a Mach 6.59 laminar boundary layer is examined. The compressible Navier–Stokes equations for a thermally perfect gas and the transient heat equation in the structure are solved simultaneously using two highfidelity solvers coupled at the solid–fluid interface. The geometry and flow conditions correspond to those investigated in the 8-Foot High Temperature Tunnel at NASA Langley during testing of metallic thermal protection systems for the National Aerospace Plane for which experimental heat flux data are available. Predicted surface heat fluxes arewithin 10%of themeasured values in the dome interiorwith greater differences foundnear the dome edges where uncertainties concerning the experimentalmodel’s construction likely influence the thermal dynamics. On the flat panel holder, the local surface heat fluxes approach those on the windward dome face due to a dome-induced horseshoe vortex scouring the panel’s surface. Comparisons with simplermodels of heat transfer indicate they fail to be accurate in regionswhere the dome-influencedflow impacts the ceramic panel. Cumulative effects offlow-thermal coupling at later simulation times on panel drag and surface heat transfer are quantified.