Wave drag reduction concept for blunt bodies at high angles of attack

Abstract

The present investigation is an attempt to improve the aerodynamic effectiveness of aero-spikes aerospike@aero-spike located at the nose of supersonic blunt bodies flying at a wide range of angles of attack ( AoA ). For this purpose, the use of pivoting spikes, which can maintain their favorable alignment relative to the incoming flow independent from the body’s orientation, is proposed. The proof-of-concept experiments for the pivoting spikes have been conducted in the Ludwieg Tube Facility at DLR Göttingen at Mach 2, 3 and 5 for angles of attack from 0 to 30 degrees. The model tested is a cylindrical body with a hemispherical nose. Additionally to the body equipped with a pivoting spike the reference body without a spike and the body with a conventional fixed spike were investigated. The results containing shadowgraph visualizations, direct force measurements and infrared heat flux measurements show the clear adventages of the pivoting spikes.