Hypersonic Vehicle Analyses: The Needs and Challenges of Multidisciplinary Simulations

Here are two examples to consider. On the left side, there is an example from space exploration. The black outline with the red cursor represents a heat shield on a capsule entering a planet's atmosphere. As the capsule experiences high temperatures, a large portion of the heat shield is intentionally ablated away. The gold area on the right side shows a prediction of the amount of heat shield removed. During hypersonic entry, the vehicle encounters high temperatures, causing ablation of the material surface and a change in the vehicle's shape, affecting aerodynamic coefficients.

On the right side is a Scramjet example. A Scramjet is an engine used for Hypersonic vehicles. The diagram shows the tight coupling between fluid mechanics, aerothermodynamics, and vehicle shape. The front of the vehicle is designed to create shock waves that condition the air for combustion in the Scramjet. The heated air affects the structure's integrity, potentially changing the vehicle's shape and performance. Understanding these processes requires modeling flow, material response, structure response, and propulsion system simultaneously. This integration is essential for optimizing vehicle performance. Today, I will discuss the progress we have made in this area at our Colorado facility.