Combined-Cycle Engine Flow Path Analysis & Design Software Tool

"The need for innovative combined cycle engines for Space Access and hypersonicvehicles leads the Air Force design engineers to the requirement for analysistools that provide higher levels of fidelity than are available today. Theengines for these vehicles, rather than being separate systems, are integratedsystems that share inlets, nozzles and in many cases, combustor flow paths.Because analytical results play a larger role in the design of such systemsthan in the past, it is necessary to have software that provides better answers.A new flow analysis tool concept will be developed, that is both a designtool and an assessment tool. It will provide Air Force designers with theability to design combined cycle engine flow paths, as well as give them theability to assess designs submitted by contractors. It will be based on theidea of portable parametric parts, so that designs can be worked between labs.It will have an open published interface, so that industry and academia cancreate components that can be used or assessed by the Air Force. It will livein a distributed environment so that geographically separated team membersmay collaborate via the web or private networks. The results of this work will be a software tool to give Air Force engineersboth a design and assessment tool for multi flow path combined cycle enginesand the ability to work on these engines in a collaborative environment. Itwill also provide an open interface to the