A Preliminary Experimental Investigation of the Flow over Simple Bodies of Revolution at M = 18.4 in Helium

Author: Munson, Albert Gallatin

Year: 1956

Degree: Engineer's thesis

Advisor: Lees, Lester

Committee Member: Unknown, Unknown

Option: Aeronautics

DOI: 10.7907/X3HZ-BN39

Abstract

NOTE: Text or symbols not renderable in plain ASCII are indicated by [...]. Abstract is included in .pdf document.

An experimental investigation was conducted in the GALCIT hypersonic blow-down tunnel to determine surface pressure distributions and shock wave shapes for a series of "sharp" nosed and slightly blunted bodies of revolution at a nominal Mach number of 18.5 and a free stream Reynolds number of 4.75 x 10[superscript 5] per inch. The four bodies investigated were as follows: (1) 15[degree] half-angle "sharp" cone; (2) 15[degree] half-angle spherically-blunt cone (bluntness ratio = .24); (3) 20[degree] half-angle "sharp" cone; and (4) 2/3 power body.

The pressure distributions on the "sharp" cones agreed well with the Taylor Maccoll theory. The pressure near the nose of the blunt cone was much higher than that predicted by the theory, as is expected, but decreases monotonically to a value lower than the theoretical value, indicating that the flow has over expanded. The measured shock wave shape for the 2/3 power body was found to be proportional to x[...], and the shock wave ordinates agree very closely with those predicted by Cole.

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