Fluid–Structure–Jet Interaction Modeling and Simulation of High-Speed Vehicles

Abstract

A modeling methodology and flight simulations are presented that account for the external loads of a slender high-speed vehicle maneuvering with divert and attitude control jets. The slender vehicle structure leads to a deformable vehicle and a coupled fluid–structure interaction. The jets apply a force to the vehicle via thrust, but the exhaust interacts with the free-stream flow that may change the applied load and control effectiveness. The resulting fluid–structure–jet interaction problem is considered and a reduced modeling method has been developed to enable vehicle flight simulation with the coupled aeroelastic and flight mechanics equations. The reduced model is based on the high-fidelity steady-state computational fluid dynamics solutions of the fluid–structure–jet interaction problem and incorporated into a flight simulation framework. The simulation results highlight the effects of considering jet interaction and fluid–structure–jet interaction on vehicle maneuverability and agility.