Engineering model for transition prediction based on a hypersonic quiet wind tunnel

Abstract

A new engineering model for transition prediction is presented based on hypersonic quiet-wind-tunnel experiments. The influences of Mach number, nose-tip bluntness, and wall-to-edge temperature ratio on transition are assessed experimentally. Correlations between wind-tunnel and flight data are established to construct the transition prediction model. The model has better performance for the transition prediction of vehicles compared with previous models. The transition onset predicted by this model agrees well with flight data obtained from Hypersonic International Flight Research Experimentation 5b (HIFiRE-5b).