China Aerodynamics Research and Development Center
Osculating Inward turning Cone
Waverider/Inlet (OICWI) Design
Analysis and Experimental Study
Wu Yingchuan; He Xuzhao; Le Jialing
1) Air-breathing Hypersonic Research Center CARDC Mianyang
China 621000
2) Science and Technology on Scramjet Laboratory Hypervelocity
Aerodynamics Institute CARDC Mianyang China 621000
Airbreathing Hypersonics Laboratory
China Aerodynamics Research and Development Center
Contents
 Introduction
 Basic inward turning cone flow field design
and analysis
 Design methods for Osculating Inward
turning Cone Waverider forebody Inlet
 Numerical analysis of the integrated OICWI’s
performance
 Experimental study for the integrated OICWI
 Conclusion
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• Waverider has high lift to drag ratio, it
is suitable to be air-breathing
Hypersonic vehicle’s forebody or body.
• In engineering practice, several kinds
of air breathing vehicles are using or
partially using integrated wave rider
forebody/inlet design methods
Japhar
X-51A
Blackswift
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China Aerodynamics Research and Development Center
• In present paper, an waverider inlet
integration design methods are put forward
which is basing on osculation axisymmetric
and stream line tracing theory. This design
method is called Osculating Inward truing
Cone Waverider Inlet design method. This
method is conformed and verified by
comparison of the OICWI’s design results
and inviscid on design condition results. The
viscous results on design condition and on
off design conditions are also presented in
this paper. The wind tunnel experimental
studies on design and on off design
condition are conducted which is Mach
number 5,6, 7 and angel of attach -2,0,2,4,6
degree.
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2. Basic inward turning cone flow
field design and analysis
E'
H
Ini
tia
lS
tra
igh
tS
ho
ck
O
Cowl Wall
k
Shoc
F
I
ect
l
f
e
R
B
J
Shock Cancel Region
Center Body
Axisymmetric Axis
Fig1. Basic inward turning cone flow field structure
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G
O'
China Aerodynamics Research and Development Center
Fig2. Inward turning cone Mach number contour
by MOC design
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Fig.3 Inward turnin cone flow field pressure contour
comparison between MOC and CFD
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14
12
10
8
CFD Centerbody
MOC Centerbody
MOC Cowl
CFD Cowl
P/P
8
6
4
2
0
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
X/Rs
Fig.4 Center body and cowl wall presure
comparison between MOC and CFD results
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3. Design methods for Osculating Inward
turning Cone Waverider forebody
Inlet(OICWI)
 The design method of integrated OIC waverider forebody
inlet is developed from Osculating Inward turning Cone
method. Combining Osculating axisymmetric method and
streamline tracing technical, the OICWI design method uses
OIC method and streamline tracing method to integrated
waverider forebody inlet design.
In the design procedure of OICWI, it has not geometrical
modification and geometrical shape changing process.
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E′
-4
E
1. firstly we define inlet cone
leading edge shock curve(Inlet
D
D′
Capture Curve) ICC.
C
C′
FCT
B
2. The forebody inlet’s leading
B′
edge(front capture ratio FCT)
ICC
use straight line add parabolic
Inlet Capture Area
curve to generate.
(BB′CC′)
3. Along the ICC curve, the ICC
curve’s curve center is
generated. For example, in the
point B of ICC curve, the
corresponding curve center A
A′
A
is generated. The point B in
ICC curve and the curve center
Fig.5 Osculating methods sketch
A generate the osculating
map in the OICWI cowl lip plane
plane AB.
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-2
0
2
4
6
200
China Aerodynamics Research and Development Center
E
E
150
Y/Rs X 100
Ini
tia
lS
tra
igh
tS
100 hock
D
D
F
C
50
Streamline
B
O
Cowl Wall
100
A
G
Center Body
200
Axisymmetric
Axis
X/Rs X 100
300
Fig.6 OICWI streamline tracing methods in the Oculating plane AB
In the actual design, only a part of ICC curve(section BB′)
act as inlet capture section, the corresponding inlet cowl
leading edge capture area is BB′CC′. the inlet side wall
surface is constructed by the corresponding osculating
plane. In fig5, they are BC and B′C′ line.
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O'
China Aerodynamics Research and Development Center
• Fig7 is an integrated OICWI which is designed by above
described design method. The integrated waverider
forebody inlet has a width of 0.3 meter. The waverider
forebody’s length is 0.33 meter, and total length up to
isolate exit plane is 0.68 meter. The inlet capture flow
path width is 0.14 meter. The total compression ratio of
this integrated OICWI is 4.47 and the inner compression
ratio is 1.85.
Fig.7 3D view map o the designed OICWI
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4. Numerical analysis of the
integrated OICWI’s performance
The inviscid and viscous performance of the designed OICWI
is simulated on design condition. The comparison is given for
the inviscid numerical simulating result and the design result.
For the design condition, the free stream flow is Mach
number 6, to simulate the 25Km high atmosphere condition.
The numerical simulation is using CFD software AHL3D, the
inviscid flux construction method is third order MUSCL
interpolation AUSMPW+ scheme. The turbulence model use
two equation k-w TNT, using the wall function method to
improve the simulation result accuracy. Total computational
grid number is about 2 million.
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Fig.8 Inviscid Mach number and pressure contour in OICWI’s symmetry plane
Fig.9 Viscous Mach number and pressure contour in ICWI’s symmetry plane
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Fig.10 Viscous and inviscid Mach number
contour comparison in inlet cowl lip plane
0.2
inviscid Mach number
viscous Mach number
2.63
15.0
13.9
10.5
10.3
13.8
inviscid P/P
8
8
-0.05
10.3
10.3
10.0
viscous P/P
0.1
3.80
Flow field comparison in waverider-inlet exit plane
14.7
14.
5
14
.2
Y(m)
0.15
3.80
3.42
0
Fig.11 viscous and inviscid Mach number
and Pressure comparison in isolate exit
plane
0.05
Z(m)
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Fig.12 3D view of integrated OICWI
inviscid flow field structure
Fig.13 3D view of integrated OICWI
viscous flow field structure
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Table1 comparison of theory, inviscid and viscous result of OICWI’ on design condition
theory
inviscid
viscous
Mass weight
Mach
3.80
3.80
3.13
Pressure
recovery
0.756
0.744
0.484
Pressure rise
Mass flow capture ratio
10.26
10.30
14.28
1.0
1.0
0.967
Table 1 is the Mach number, total pressure recovery, pressure
rise ratio and mass flux capture ratio of theoretical design,
inviscid simulation and viscid simulation results for the
integrated waverider forebody inlet’s isolate exit plane. It
shows that the theoretical design results and inviscid
simulation results are fit with each other very well. For the
OICWI’s flow field structure, the inviscid simulation and
theoretical design results fit with each other well too. From
those two points, we can see that present OICWI design
method is correct.
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5. Experimental study for the
integrated OICWI
The experiment study is fulfilled in China aerodynamic research and development
center’s 0.5m hypersonic wind tunnel. The experiment section has radios of
0.5m. Experimental mach number range is 4.9~11.7. The accuracy of the Mach
number is 0.005. The simulation height range of this wind tunnel is 20km~48km.
CARDC Hypersonic wind tunnel
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Fig14. the experimental study model of integrated waverider forebody inlet
Fig15 the unstart map for OICWI
symmetry plane under 106 back pressure
ratios and free stream Mach number 5
Fig16. the self start map for OICWI symmetry
plane when high pack pressure vanished
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Fig 18. the wind tunnel experimental model for integratd OICWI
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Ma5 AOA 4
Ma5 AOA 0
Ma5 AOA 2
Ma5 AOA -2
Fig19 flow field shadow graph map at free stream mach number 4.95, total
pressure 0.74Mpa , total temperature 363K,AOA from 4 to -4 degree.
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Ma6 AOA 4
Ma6 AOA 0
Ma6 AOA 2
Ma6 AOA -2
Fig20 flow field shadow graph map at free stream mach number 5.96, total
pressure 1.44Mpa , total temperature 475K,AOA from 4 degree to -4 degree.
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Ma7 AOA 4
Ma7 AOA 2
Ma7 AOA 0
Ma7 AOA -2
Fig21 flow field shadow graph map at free stream mach number 6.97, total
pressure 3.02Mpa , total temperature 602K,AOA from 4 to -4 degree.
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From the experimental shadow graph picture, the
integrated OICWI can start smoothly from Mach
number 5 to Mach number7, from AOA 4 degree to -4
degree. In the waverider forebody inlet’s flow field,
there are 2 main shock waves. The first shock wave
is the forebody compression shock wave, the
second shock wave is the inlet cowl reflect shock
wave. Those two shock waves have obviously three
dimensional characteristics. In the Mach number 5 to
Mach number 7 conditions, the shadow graphs show
that the leading edge shock is very close to the inlet
cowl leading edge. Those phenomena mean that
OICWI has high mass flow capture ability and small
mass flow spillage under non design conditions.
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The computation and experiment comparison studies are conduction under
Mach number 5.96, total pressure P0=1.44Mpa, total temperature T0=475K,
AOA=0 degree condition.
42
42
32
32
22
22
12
12
CFD pressure
EXP pressure
P/P
8
P/P
8
CFD pressure
EXP pressure
symmetry body wall
2
symmetry body wall
symmetry cowl wall
-600
-400
X(mm)
-200
0
Fig22. Body side symmetry plane CFD and
experimental pressure distribution comparison at
flow condition Mach number 5.96, AOA0 degree.
2
symmetry cowl wall
-600
-400
X(mm)
-200
0
Fig 23 cowl side symmetry plane CFD and
experimental pressure distribution comparison at
flow condition Mach number 5.96, AOA0 degree.
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10
8
6
4
P/P
8
CFD pressure
EXP pressure
2
-60
-40
-20
0
20
40
60
Z(mm)
Fig24. width direction(from forebody leading
edge ) pressure distribution comparison
between CFD and experimental data at mach
number 5.96 AOA0.
Fig25 3D view of OICWI experimental model
flow field structure at mach number 5.96 AOA0.
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Fig 26 isolate exit mach number andpressure contour at Mach
number 5.96, 0 angle of attack.
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6. Conclusion
An waverider forebody inlet integrated design method:
Osculating Inward turning Cone Waverider Inlet (OICWI)
design methods are presented in present paper. The
numerical and experimental studies are conducted for
this kind of integrated waverider forebody inlet on design
and off design conditions. From present studies, it shows
that OICWI has some good characteristics such as:
 1. The design methods for OICWI using streamline
tracing and osculating inward cone technical, the design
processes are according with aerodynamic principles.
 2. The OICWI’s shape, inner compression ratio and
isolate exit flow parameter can be easily adjusted through
ICC and FCT curve, the design of an OICWI is flexible and
easily.
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 3. From the comparison of inviscid simulation results on
design condition and OICWI’s design results, they
compare with each other well and the consistent results
show that present OICWI design method is correct.
 4. From the simulation and experimental studies result
on design and off design conditions, it shows that
OICWI has high pressure recovery, good flow parameter
uniformity and good flow capture characteristics. It has
small flow spillage in three dimensional design and off
design conditions.
 5. The experimental studies are performed in present
studies, the experimental study results have good
consistency with numerical simulation results,
experimental and numerical simulation result are
compared with each other well.
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Thank you for your attention!
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