Control of vehicles operating at hypersonic speed

Control of vehicles operating at hypersonic speed encompasses Aerodynamics, Flight Dynamics and Thermal control. A hypersonic vehicle cannot employ conventional aircraft controls due to the immense gas temperatures and corresponding heat transfer. Morphing surfaces, where components are sealed from the external high-temperature environment, represent a possible alternative to reaction jets that tend to be used in high-speed conditions, which also have application (leading edge vortex flaps) for low-speed high lift generation at take-off and landing.

It is proposed to undertake a combined experimental (Cranfield hypersonic wind tunnel, with sting force balance, Schlieren video and infrared surface thermography) and High fidelity CFD study (Navier-Stokes with real gas modelling) to compare the control authority and heating load on a generic hypersonic configuration controlled by i) reaction jet blowing and ii) morphing leading edge and iii) a combination of both, to identify which strategy might be superior. A reaction jet rig will be constructed to enable powered jet flows to be experimentally measured.

Student: Nathanael Matthews

University Partner: Cranfield University

Industry Partner: BAE Systems