Performance analysis of a hypersonic vehicle model

A study was conducted to examine the performance of a hypersonic vehicle model based on the UX-30 vehicle geometry. The model was subjected to a range of Mach number and angle of attack settings to verify the influence of each of these parameters on the vehicle's performance. An engineering methods-based approach was used to model the flow as it traversed the baseline vehicle geometry. The vehicle consisted of three distinct sections which included an inlet, combustor and nozzle. The flow through the inlet region was treated using oblique shock expansion theory. A simple Rayleigh line analysis was utilized to accomodate the flow through the combustor region. Prandtl-Meyer equations were used to model the transition from combustor to the nozzle afterbody. In all cases, the laws of conservation were applied to one-dimensional, inviscid, compressible flow. The model utilized the freestream Mach number, pressure and temperature at the desired altitude to calculate the vehicle's performance parameters. Of special interest were the vehicle's combustor inlet conditions, specific impulse, coefficients of moment and thrust, and the magnitude of the vehicle's thrust vector. An analysis of results was conducted and correlations were made to previous studies and published literature.