Surface-Inclination Methods for Aerodynamic Analysis of Launch and Re-entry Vehicles in Hypersonic Flow

This study presents a comprehensive validation of the hypersonic local-inclination methods implemented in Simcenter FlightStream ®: the Tangent Cone (TC) and Modified Newtonian (MN) pressure models. Three well-documented benchmark configurations are analyzed: NASA HB-1 and HB-2 reentry bodies, the Apollo Command Module, and the RFZ Stage 2 launch vehicle. Simulations were conducted across a wide range of Mach numbers (1.5 ≤ M ≤ 35) and angles of attack to evaluate the accuracy of both methods. For windward surfaces, pressure coefficients are calculated using the Taylor-Maccoll equations, approximated through a computationally efficient sixth-order polynomial. Leeward surface pressures are predicted using Prandtl-Meyer expansion theory. Results demonstrate that the TC method generally provides better accuracy at lower hypersonic Mach numbers (M < 5), while the MN method shows superior performance in the high hypersonic regime. All simulations could be executed in less than 0.2 seconds per flight condition on standard workstation hardware, requiring less than 200MB of memory, validating the solver’s computational efficiency for conceptual design and rapid analysis of hypersonic vehicles.