Effects of the aerothermoelastic deformation on the performance of the three-dimensional hypersonic inlet

The hypersonic inlet is more prone to deform when simultaneously subjected to aerodynamic load and harsh aerothermodynamic load. Moreover, the flow field of the hypersonic inlet is sensitive to configuration. Therefore, it is necessary to investigate the effects of the aerothermoelastic deformation on the flow structure and the performance of the hypersonic inlet. This study develops a loose coupling static aerothermoelastic analysis framework based on the CFD/CSD coupling method, and the one-way and the two-way aerothermal-aeroelastic coupling are both used in the analysis. Furthermore, the effects of the aerothermoelastic deformation on the flow structure and the performance of a three-dimensional hypersonic inlet are studied in detail. The reliabilities of the CFD method and the CFD/CSD coupling method are verified by the validation cases of DLR hypersonic inlet experimental model and the HIRENASD experimental model. The results obtained by the coupling methods are similar. However, the aerothermoelastic deformation obtained through the two-way coupling method is relatively larger, and the effects of the deformation on the inlet performance are more obvious. The maximum of the aerothermoelastic deformation exists at the leading edge of the inlet lip. The deformation changes the shock wave structure near the lip, strengthens the shock wave intensity inside the inlet, increases the length of the separated region and the temperature of the external wall, and changes the flow field of the exit. The aerothermoelastic deformation will lead to the increasing of the mass flow coefficient and the pressure rise ratio; however, it will decrease the total pressure recovery coefficient.