Electron Transpiration Cooling of Hypersonic Vehicles. Future aircraft for flight at hypersonic speeds require sharp leading edges for the best aerodynamic performance. Sharp leading edges incur high heat loads and cannot be adequately cooled with current technologies. The project aim is to investigate novel surface materials that emit electrons when heated. This emission of electrons from the surface can significantly contribute to the cooling of the sharp leading edges. This project is expecte ....Electron Transpiration Cooling of Hypersonic Vehicles. Future aircraft for flight at hypersonic speeds require sharp leading edges for the best aerodynamic performance. Sharp leading edges incur high heat loads and cannot be adequately cooled with current technologies. The project aim is to investigate novel surface materials that emit electrons when heated. This emission of electrons from the surface can significantly contribute to the cooling of the sharp leading edges. This project is expected to deliver new experimental data on novel surface materials exposed to a hypersonic flow environment and computer models that can simulate their cooling effect. This investigation will contribute towards enabling technologies for sustained hypersonic flight by overcoming critical head load limitations.Read moreRead less
3D Hypersonic Shock-Turbulent-Boundary-Layer Interactions. Shock-wave turbulent-boundary-layer interactions occur on hypersonic flight vehicles and can lead to high heating and increased drag. This is a paramount design issue that needs addressing. We aim to understand and quantify fundamental phenomena occurring in such interactions using state-of-the-art instrumentation and wind-tunnel facilities. Surfaces will be heated to realistic flight temperatures to simulate accurately the flight enviro ....3D Hypersonic Shock-Turbulent-Boundary-Layer Interactions. Shock-wave turbulent-boundary-layer interactions occur on hypersonic flight vehicles and can lead to high heating and increased drag. This is a paramount design issue that needs addressing. We aim to understand and quantify fundamental phenomena occurring in such interactions using state-of-the-art instrumentation and wind-tunnel facilities. Surfaces will be heated to realistic flight temperatures to simulate accurately the flight environment and include effects not reproduced with cold models. The effects of 3D features of the interactions will lead to new understanding of how the flow develops through a combination of experiments and numerical simulations. Future designs of hypersonic flight vehicles will benefit from knowledge gained.Read moreRead less