Highly Integrated Inlet Design Based on the Ridge Concept

Propulsive Efficiency of Ridge/Inlet Configuration

“…Downstream of the ridge, the vortices that it generates provide a small amount of additional lift, and the rear part of the ridge plays an important role in controlling the vortex structure. In contrast to [1], for the top-mounted inlet configuration, it is preferable to let the vortex remain attached to the rear part of the fuselage.…”

“…Low kinetic energy boundary layer flow and its degradation of inlet performance are particularly problematic. Swirling, flow, distortion, and shock/boundary-layer interactions are common adverse phenomena, related to the nature of boundary layer in airbreathing propulsion systems [1][2][3]. Up to now, few practical designs and integration methods have been successfully used.…”

“…Information on advanced concepts based on this design can be found in [1], which focused on the study of external flow patterns of the ridge, and propulsive efficiency of the new configuration was not emphasized. More detailed results of analysis of the basic ridge flow pattern, vortex structures, and other aerodynamic properties of the ridge concept will be published in a future paper.…”

Design of top mounted supersonic inlets for a cylindrical fuselage

“…Another difficulty in the airframe-inlet integration is the requirement for a boundary layer diverter to prevent low-energy boundary layer from entering the inlet. The diverter wetted area generates a considerable amount of drag, especially at supersonic speeds, 1,[7][8][9] so that removing the diverter from the design or minimizing its wetted area can be an important goal for airframe-inlet integration. 8,10 For example, few basic supersonic inlet concepts for the range of 1 < M < 2 on the basis of curved ramps and half-cone compression surfaces have been investigated to adapt with highly curved fuselage of S3DT.…”

“…The diverter wetted area generates a considerable amount of drag, especially at supersonic speeds, 1,[7][8][9] so that removing the diverter from the design or minimizing its wetted area can be an important goal for airframe-inlet integration. 8,10 For example, few basic supersonic inlet concepts for the range of 1 < M < 2 on the basis of curved ramps and half-cone compression surfaces have been investigated to adapt with highly curved fuselage of S3DT. 10,11 A newer try for designing the inlet based on geometrical constraints and predefined shock pattern can be seen in STEX inlet.…”