Co-Optimized, Blunt-Body Re-entry Vehicle Design Process
- Thursday, 01 May 2014
A document describes a design optimization method for determining optimal shapes for vehicles with mid-range lift-to-drag ratios that are entering or re-entering planetary atmospheres. The design space includes consideration of hypersonic aerothermodynamic properties (for minimizing heating) and hypersonic aerodynamic properties (for maximizing maneuverability and stability). It allows for flexible trajectory design. The method allows geometry and analysis grids (meshes) to be rapidly created from a limited set of parameters, which once defined, can be interpreted in a straightforward and intuitive manner.
The vehicle shapes are known as Co-Optimized Blunt Re-Entry Aero (COBRA) geometries. A key advantage for design work is that this approach uses a parameterization that defines the vehicle shape and is thus suitable for automated optimization methods. Parametric shape representation permits rapid remeshing for iterative shape representation. The software approach is suitable for automated optimization routines.
This work was done by James L. Brown, Joseph A. Garcia, David J. Kinney, Jeffrey V. Bowles, and Nagi N. Mansour of Ames Research Center.
This Brief includes a Technical Support Package (TSP).
Co-Optimized, Blunt-Body Re-entry Vehicle Design Process (reference ARC-16348-1) is currently available for download from the TSP library.
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