High-Speed Airbreathing Propulsion Integration

In this proposal HyPerComp Inc., jointly with Lockheed Martin Aeronautics, GASL and the University of Texas at Arlington, seeks to create a high performance rapid test environment for hypersonic multimode airbreathing vehicle development. This will be achieved by a systematic sequence of advancements in both computational as well as experimental methods being used in the study of such systems. While due care will be taken to accurately represent the basic external aerodynamics, structural mechanics and heat transfer phenomena, the emphasis of this project will be placed on the study of dual-mode propulsion systems with integrated inlets/nozzles and multiple combustor paths, that are a vital ingredient in major ongoing vehicle programs such as the DARPA-FALCON. The integrated multiphysical approach to the study of the vehicle performance proposed here is aimed to supersede current techniques in component-wise modeling, external integration and lumped performance estimates. Developments in this area are timely, given the rapid pace of activity in hypersonic vehicle design concepts in recent times, such as in the X-51, FALCON-HTV/HCV and allied programs. The proposing team consists of industry leaders in flow simulation, testing, vehicle design and integration.