AIAA Education: Hypersonic Flight Vehicle Design and Performance Analysis

Hypersonic flight has once again risen to prominence as a topic of high national interest. Current US and international programs range from hypersonic cruise vehicles (HCV) and transatmospheric vehicles (TAV), to maneuverable hypersonic glide vehicles (HGV) and hypersonic interceptors. The design and performance analysis of these vehicles is challenging because of the wide range of flight conditions encountered, and the critical importance of maintaining acceptable fuel mass fractions. These constraints impose severe challenges to designers, requiring innovative component designs and careful integration of the various components to achieve an efficient flight vehicle. This course will educate the attendee on principles and methods to better address these challenges.

This 20-hour course will cover airbreathing hypersonic flight vehicles, emphasizing propulsion systems that range from ramjets, scramjets, dual-mode scramjets, turbine-based and rocket-based combined cycles to pre-cooled engine cycles. Topics will include an introduction to hypersonic flight from a historical perspective, design challenges, vehicle performance requirements, design methodology, aerodynamics, propulsion, structures, flight mechanics/stability & control, thermal management, design convergence, off-design performance analysis, the role of CFD, ground & flight testing, and conclude with a review of ongoing international programs.