EFFECTS OF NOSE BLUNTNESS ON THE BOUNDARY LAYER CHARACTERISTICS OF CONICAL BODIES AT HYPERSONIC SPEEDS

Abstract
The effect of nose blunting on the boundary layer characteristics over the conical part of a body is investigated. The boundary layer parameters are found as functions of the similarity parameter, and the boundary layer equations are integrated numerically. The resulting profiles are general, being independent of unit freestream Reynolds number and nose radius. The effect of bluntness on transition is investigated. Using the variation of Reynolds number based on the momentum thickness in the swallowing region as an indicator, the type of transition likely to occur, i.e., blunt body or conical transition, is examined. The range of unit freestream Reynolds number for which conical transition will occur is identified specifically for the family of blunted conical bodies of 8 degrees half angle at Mach 10. Based on the transition data, the heat transfer is calculated for regions of the swallowing process for which the boundary layer is laminar. The results indicate a reduction of heat transfer is associated with nose bluntness and can be significant downstream of the nose region if the body nose radius is chosen to make the swallowing distance approximately twice that of the body surface length.

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