Analytical off-design lift-to-drag-ratio analysis for hypersonic waveriders

An analytical, power-law-derived, waverider wing theory model is developed for studying the lift-to-drag-ratio characteristics of a rocket-powered waverider with a two-dimensional (planar) shock structure, Some inherent benefits of the modeling method are explored, such as the decoupling of the vehicle length and planform shape from the other components in the lift-to-drag-ratio equation. Other factors affecting lift-to-drag ratio are also investigated, including off-design angle-of-attack performance and sensitivity, off-design Math number performance, altitude effects, base-pressure considerations, length-scale effects, and planform bluntness effects (i.e., spatulate vs caret-style waverider configurations). The vehicle aerodynamics are derived in a manner that results in a similarity solution in which all results are independent of the width of the vehicle. This similarity allows for easy vehicle scaling once a desirable configuration has been determined.