Hypersonic aerodynamic heating over a flared cone with wavy wall

Abstract

The influence of a wavy wall on the hypersonic boundary layer transition and the related aerodynamic heating is investigated on a flared cone at a range of unit Reynolds numbers. Experiments are conducted in a Mach 6 wind tunnel using Rayleigh-scattering flow visualization, fast-response pressure sensors, and infrared thermography. The results show that compared to the smooth-wall cone, the wavy-wall one can suppress the second-mode instability to a certain degree and eliminate the local heating spot before transition is completed (denoted as HS). These verify our recent work on aerodynamic heating that HS is caused by the second-mode instability.