Study of Cavity Geometry to Improve Optical Quality of Windows in Hypersonic Flow
Name
Schofield-mschof-SM-AeroAstro-thesis.pdf
Description
Thesis PDF
Size
4.66 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
c8e244d2bf38f57bf8771d75cc22c7e2
Author(s)
Schofield, Matthew
Advisor(s)
Harris, Wesley
Huang, Arthur
Date Issued
May 2024
Publisher
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Abstract
The optical quality of the window-air system of a flight vehicle in hypersonic flow is simulated. The optical distortion of the window-air system is the metric of merit. Within the earth’s atmosphere, vehicles at hypersonic speeds may generate viscous and high-temperature thermal boundary layers. These boundary layers induce a nonuniform displacement of temperature, density, and fluid velocity over the window-sensor system leading to a degradation of optical quality of the system. The heat f lux into the system is simulated for various geometries (length-to-depth ratios). Computer-simulated flow fields and time-development of different measures of optical quality are produced using US3D. Conjugate heat transfer is used for simulation of solid temperature development, with materials Aluminum-6061 for the vehicle solid (frame) and Sapphire (Al₂O₃) for the window. Optimal window-air system configurations are discussed for a Mach 7 vehicle at 20 km.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics
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