Experimental Investigation for Subsonic, Transonic, and Supersonic Performances of Double-Swept Waverider

The wind-tunnel experiments for the double-swept waverider were carried out in subsonic, transonic, and supersonic states, aiming to validate its potential advantages in wide-speed performances. The test configurations were generated using the planform-customized waverider design, which was developed from the osculating-cone method. Two experimental models of the double-swept waveriders with bend and cusp heads were fabricated, and a single-swept configuration was built as a comparable model. A series of experiments were performed in the FD-06 wind tunnel of the China Academy of Aerospace Aerodynamics at a subsonic Mach number of Ma=0.4; transonic Mach numbers of Ma=0.7, 0.8, and 0.9; and a supersonic Mach number of Ma=2.0. The results from the wind-tunnel tests were examined by combining the numerical simulations. As the Mach number increased, the lift-to-drag (L/D) ratios of the double-swept waveriders decreased slightly when Ma <= 0.8; but when Ma>0.8, their L/D dropped sharply. Moreover, the double-swept waveriders were unstable in the longitudinal direction in the subsonic state, and their longitudinal stability was obviously improved as the Mach number went up. When the Mach number was greater than 0.9, they became statically stable. Compared with the single configuration, the double-swept waverider exhibited increased L/D in subsonic and transonic states, as well as improved longitudinal stability in the wide-speed range, but it exhibited a decreased L/D in the supersonic state.