A Novel Computational Tool for Transition Prediction over Hypersonic Vehicles

Laminar to turbulent transition phenomenon in hypersonic flows remains poorly understood although it has a profound impact on the thermal protection system weight, vehicle drag and air-breathing engine performance. Transition location uncertainty forces designers to be conservative by adding weight and reducing thrust. Accurate prediction techniques are needed since existing applicable transition databases are insufficient and validated arbitrary configuration prediction codes are non-existent. It is proposed to develop a novel computational tool for hypersonic transition prediction which can account for environmental effects. The computational tool can not only capture the complex physical phenomenon, but also is computationally efficient and, therefore, has the potential of becoming a design tool for aerospace vehicles of the 21st century.