Application of surrogate models to stability analysis and transition prediction in hypersonic flows

To increase the efficiency and robustness of stability-based transition prediction in flow simulations, simplified methods are introduced to substitute direct stability analyses for rapid disturbance growth prediction. For low-speed boundary layers, these methods are mainly established based on self-similar assumptions, which are not applicable to non-similar boundary layers in hypersonic flows. The objective of this article is to investigate the application of surrogate models to stability analysis of non-similar flows over blunt cones, focused on parameterization of boundary-layer (BL) profiles. Firstly, correlations between BL edge and profile parameters are analyzed, along with self-similar flow parameters and discrete points on BL profiles, which present four groups of BL characteristic parameters. Secondly, using these parameters as inputs, surrogate models are built for disturbance growth prediction over an MF-1 blunt cone. Results show that, surrogate models using four BL edge parameters and a BL shape factor {U_e, T_e, ρ_e, η_e, H₁₂} for stability analysis can achieve comparable accuracy with those using 16 discrete BL profile parameters, which are more precise than those using merely self-similar parameters or BL edge parameters. Thirdly, the established surrogate models are validated by stability analysis and transition prediction over the MF-1 blunt cone in flight experiments at the instants of t = 17 s ~ 22 s. Compared with direct linear stability analyses, the mean relative error of predicted disturbance growth rates by surrogate models is 8.0% and the maximum relative error of N factor envelopes is 6.6%, which indicates feasible applications of surrogate models to stability analysis and transition prediction of non-similar boundary layers in hypersonic flows.