Hypersonic thermal environment of a proposed single-stage-to-orbit vehicle

The thermal environment of a representative single-stage-to-orbit winged body vehicle has been investigated at a Mach number of 21.89 and an altitude of 233,000 ft, which corresponds to the peak heating condition on a nominal re-entry trajectory. Both surface heating and temperatures are mapped for the baseline configuration and for control surfaces both fixed (tip fins) and deflected (body flap and elevens). The thermal environment is predicted for angles of attack of 28, 32, and 36 deg; for body flap deflections of 10 and 20 deg; and for a matrix of tip fin parameters based on leading-edge radius and leading-edge sweep angle. The analysis is based on laminar flow in chemical equilibrium and chemical nonequilibrium including catalytic surface effects. The analysis shows that, in the vicinity of the wing fuselage juncture and tip fin leading edge, the localized heating can be as much as three times and temperatures as much as one-third greater than those found at the stagnation point. These extremes are the result of shock interactions that are influenced by vehicle aerolines and attitude, as well as the chemical state of the gas in the flowfield.