This paper aims to provide technical insights on the aerodynamic characterization activities performed in the field of the H2020 STRATOFLY project, for the Mach 8 waverider reference configuration. Considering the complexity of the configuration to be analyzed at conceptual/preliminary design stage, a build-up approach has been adopted. The complexity of the aerodynamic model increases incrementally, from the clean external configuration up to the complete configuration, including propulsion systems elements and flight control surfaces. At each step, the aerodynamic analysis is complemented with detailed mission analysis, in which the different versions of the aerodynamic databases are used as input for the trajectory simulation. eventually, once the contribution to the aerodynamic characterization of flight control surfaces is evaluated, stability and trim analysis is carried out. The comparison of the results obtained through the different mission analysis campaigns clearly shows that the accuracy of aerodynamic characterization may determine the feasibility or unfeasibility of a mission concept.
Recent studies have revealed that control surface deflection can cause a reduction in the aerodynamic efficiency of a hypersonic aircraft of up to 30%. In fact, the characterization of the Flight Control System is essential for the estimation of the consistent aerodynamic characteristics of the vehicle in different phases, considering the contribution of control surfaces to stability and trim. In terms of the sizing process, traditional methodologies have been demonstrated to be no longer applicable to estimations of the actuation power required for the control surfaces of a high-speed aircraft, due to their peculiar working conditions and to the characteristics of the flow to which they are exposed. In turn, numerical simulation approaches based on computational fluid dynamics or panel methods may require considerable time resources, which do not fit with the needs of the quick and reliable estimates that are typical of the early design phases. Therefore, this paper is aimed at describing a methodology to show how to anticipate the Flight Control System design for high-speed vehicles at the conceptual design stage, properly considering the interactions at vehicle level and predicting the behavior of the system throughout an entire mission. It is also a core part of the work to provide designers with an example of how neglecting the effect of trim drag can be detrimental to a reliable estimation of overall aircraft performance. The analysis, mainly focused on the longitudinal plane of the vehicle, is presented step-by-step on a specific case study, namely the STRATOFLY MR3 vehicle, a Mach 8 waverider concept for civil antipodal flights. The application of the methodology, conceived as an initial step towards an iterative Flight Control System design process, also shows that the most power-demanding phases are take-off, low supersonic acceleration, and approach, where peaks of over 130 kW are reached, while an average of 20 kW is sufficient to support deflections in a hypersonic cruise.
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