Mixed-Compression Supersonic Intake and Engine–Airframe Integration

Abstract

Hypersonic flight is gaining increasing attention by aerospace companies interested in designing and developing reusable aircraftlike vehicles (spaceplanes). Advanced concepts include a combination of space and aviation approaches able to fly few minutes in space for sightseeing or fast enough to enable point-to-point transportation. In this framework, a concept of hypersonic systems for space travel and high-speed transportation is presented, with a particular focus on the intake and engine–airframe configurations. The adopted intake is designed to ensure an efficient functioning, not only in nominal conditions but along the supersonic ascent trajectory thanks to a movable inner spike. A nonzero angle of attack resulted in a little degradation of the performances in terms of efficiency, spillage, and flow distortion. In the second part, the interaction between the engine and airframe is also investigated. An initial configuration, characterized by the propulsion system located on the fuselage side near the wing, is characterized by a strong interference responsible for an off-design functioning with a high percentage of air spillage. An alternative solution with engine–wing integration exhibits a completely different behavior with interference minimized, resulting in a design intake functioning without air spillage and a considerable drag reduction.