Assessment of CFD estimation of aerodynamic characteristics of basic Reusable rocket configurations

Abstract

Flow-fields around the basic SSTO-rocket configurations are numerically simulated by the Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) computations. Simulations of the Apollo-like configuration is first carried out, where the results are compared with NASA experiments and the prediction ability of the RANS simulation is discussed. The angle of attack of the freestream ranges from 0° to 180° and the freestream Mach number ranges from 0.7 to 2.0. Computed aerodynamic coefficients for the Apollo-like configuration agree well with the experiments under a wide range of flow conditions. The flow simulations around the slender Apollo-type configuration are carried out next and the results are compared with the experiments. Computed aerodynamic coefficients also agree well with the experiments. Flow-fields are dominated by the three-dimensional massively separated flow, which should be captured for accurate aerodynamic prediction. Grid refinement effects on the computed aerodynamic coefficients are investigated comprehensively. © 2005 The Japan Society for Aeronautical and Space Sciences.