Study on the flow characteristics of double-cone in hypersonic flows

Abstract

Reusable spacecraft is one of the hot topics in the field of aerospace, attracting wide attention from researchers. Due to the high-Mach-number flight of re-entry, the air near the wall exhibits significant thermochemical nonequilibrium effects. Besides, the existing shock wave/boundary layer interaction (SWBLI) leads to severe aerodynamic heating issues. This study utilizes the two-temperature model to conduct simulations of hypersonic laminar flows around a canonical 25°/55° double-cone with low and high enthalpy. By varying the wall temperature and the aft cone angle, the evolution mechanism of the flow under the high-enthalpy and hypersonic freestream is explored. Our findings illustrate that while the thermodynamic nonequilibrium model closely reflects the separation zone evidenced in the experiments, it habitually overpredicts the peak heat transfer, particularly under high-enthalpy conditions. For the thermochemical nonequilibrium model, the flow field structure appears more uniform, with a reduced standoff distance of the detached shock. An incremental rise in wall temperature correlates with a proportional augmentation of the separation bubble, though its impact on the overall flow field is negligible. Increasing the aft cone angle intensifies the shock/shock interaction (SSI), transitioning from a lower-intensity Type VI to a more intense Type IV shock interplay. The examination reveals that the increase in temperature and cone angle amplifies the interaction between the separation region and shock waves, drastically escalating the peak heat transfer and fostering a secondary peak. The hypersonic flow of the double-cone demonstrates a multifaceted interaction of phenomena, notably SWBLI and SSI, with our analyses providing pivotal insights for the aerodynamic and thermal protection design of the high-Mach-number spacecraft.