Fully Coupled Analysis of Aerothermoelastic Deformation of a Scramjet Inlet

Although supersonic combustion ramjets—scramjets—provide a fuel-efficient method for propulsion at hypersonic speeds, current challenges with the engine prohibit the robustness necessary for space accessibility and trans-atmospheric flight. One such challenge the engine faces is the vehicle and inlet’s compliance under harsh thermal and mechanical loads at hypersonic speeds. The deformation of the inlet has ramifications on the downstream components and the engine as a whole, creating conditions outside of the original design envelope. Additionally, the deformations impact the vehicle’s aerodynamic performance due to the integrated airframe/inlet design. One mitigation technique that works in tandem with thermal management is active cooling. It is important to understand the impacts of active cooling on the inlet and engine performance; in order to do so, a multiphysics modeling approach is used to capture the coupled aerothermostructural response of the inlet, and a multifidelity approach is used to model the remaining components of the scramjet. The system is found to be extremely sensitive to the changes in deformation, leading to increased flow separation and heating and to deviations of the engine performance and efficiency from the original design point.