Numerical procedure for the computation of irrotational conical flows

Abstract

A numerical procedure has been developed for the computation of steady inviscid supersonic flow about general conical bodies at incidence. The method is based on solutions of the exact nonlinear potential equation in an orthogonal coordinate system generated through a stereographic projection and standard conformal mapping techniques. Accurate numerical solutions are obtained through the application of mixed-flow relaxation procedures. Results are presented for a wide variety of configurations from slender cones to thin wings with blunt leading edges, and are compared with existing theories and experimental data. Some interesting results have been obtained depicting the “lift-off” of the vortical singularity on elliptic cones at high angles of attack. © 1979 American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Inc., All rights reserved.