Study on lateral-directional stability of a practical high lift-to-drag ratio hypersonic vehicle with momentum lift augmentation

A new aerodynamic configuration concept for a hypersonic vehicle with a high lift-to-drag ratio is proposed to satisfy the constantly increasing practicability multi-constraints of high volumetric efficiency, control and stability, and acceptable thermal protection. The design principles of this practical configuration is inspired by the wave-rider design idea and momentum principle which incorporates inverted dihedral with an aft-sweeping wing, caret upper surface, and con-cavity lower surface are elaborated. A trailing edge flap and a body-fitted expansion rudder were used in place of the standard control surface's leading edge to prevent excessive heat flow during the prolonged hypersonic flight. The aerodynamic characteristics of this new configuration were obtained and discussed by applying numerical simulation with Navier-Stokes equations and wind tunnel test. The results show that the delta wing with a caret upper surface and concavity bottom surface can generate highly compressed air beneath the vehicle and reduce the loss of lifting pressure. The maximum lift-to-drag ratio achieves nearly 4.48 at Ma=10 and 40Km altitude and maintains well at a wide range of angles of attack. At the same time, the effects and feasibility of three different optimization schemes are discussed based on the numerical simulation method, aiming at the common lateral and directional stability problem of the proposed configuration, and the wind tunnel test is used to verify the lateral and directional stability control effect of the scheme with two V winglets.The results show that the control scheme with two V winglets is the better scheme to realize the lateral and directional stability. © 2023 Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics (BUAA). All rights reserved.