Novel design method for inward-turning inlets with non-uniform inflow

Abstract

For the integrated design of the forebody and hypersonic inlet, the non-uniform inflows generated by the forebody have significant impacts on the inlet performance. Traditional inlet designed by the Internal Conical Flow C (ICFC) flowfield or Method of Characteristics (MOC) flowfield, is difficult to match non-uniform inflows, which can easily lead to reduced captured flow and total pressure recovery. Hence, this paper proposes a novel design method for inward-turning inlets to overcome these problems. The key of this method is the parent flowfiled called the Internal Conical Flow N (ICFN). A multi-objective design optimization is integrated into the design of the two-dimensional ICFN flowfield, which enables the “design-optimization” to implement simultaneously. The new ICFN flowfield makes full use of the high compression effect and avoids the existence of Mach reflection at the focal point. Complete details of the design method of ICFN flowfield and inward-turning inlet are presented. The flowfield structure of ICFN flowfield and inlet are analyzed. Numerical simulation results indicate that the new inward-turning inlet can effectively increase captured flow and total pressure recovery. This reveals that the design method gained here can be usefully applied to the design of high-performance inward-turning inlets.