Experimental investigation on spiked body in hypersonic flow

Abstract

Abstract A spike attached to a hemispherical body drastically changes its flowfield and influences aerodynamic drag in a hypersonic flow. It is, therefore, a potential candidate for drag reduction of a future high-speed vehicle. The effect of the spike length, shape, spike nose configuration and angle-of-attack on the reduction of the drag is experimentally studied with use of hypersonic wind-tunnel at Mach 6. The effects of geometrical parameters of the spike and angle-of-attack on the aerodynamic coefficient are analysed using schlieren picture and measuring aerodynamic forces. These experiments show that the aerodisk is superior to the aerospike. The aerodisk of appropriate length, diameter and nose configuration may have the capability for the drag reduction. The inclusion of an aero disk at the leading edge of the spike has an advantage for the drag reduction mechanism if it is at an angle-of-attack, however consideration to be given for increased moment resulting from the spike is required.