Novel approach for design of a waverider vehicle generated from axisymmetric supersonic flows past a pointed von Karman ogive

This paper proposes a novel waverider generated from axisymmetric supersonic flows past a pointed von Karman ogive. First, a pointed von Karman ogive is obtained by pointing the blunt nose of the original von Karman ogive. Then, the axisymmetric supersonic flow field past the pointed von Karman ogive is calculated using the method of characteristics, and this calculated flow field is employed as the new basic flow field of a waverider. A novel waverider is generated from this new basic flow field by a streamline tracing technique that is based on left-running Mach lines. Second, numerical methods are employed to validate the applicability of this new design concept to an aerodynamic configuration. Finally, a comparison model is designed using the conventional design concept and its performance is numerically predicted to analyze the differences between the new and conventional design concepts. The comparison results show that the novel waverider possesses higher lift-to-drag ratios, smaller trim drag, and larger internal volume than the conventional waverider; the results also demonstrate that the proposed design concept can provide greater flexibility in the design and optimization of hypersonic waverider vehicles.