Coupling of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), Reentry Vehicle Surface Ablations, and In-Depth Conductions

The proposed innovation consists of developing and testing an integrated computational tool capable of predicting simultaneously the hypersonic flow over a reentry vehicle and the response of its thermal protection system, including surface ablation, recession, and in- depth thermal conduction, as well as internal pyrolysis in the case of charring materials. The computer program resulting from this effort will be capable of analyzing the fluid and solid media in three spatial dimensions, as a function of time, throughout the vehicle’s reentry flight path. Emphasis will be placed on dealing with vehicle control systems, such as flaps and reaction-control jets. Leading-edge Computational Fluid Dynamics numerical techniques will be used in conjunction with parallel-processing computers to achieve the efficiency needed to perform practical analysis of advanced vehicles being developed by the Air Force.