Advanced aerothermodynamic analysis of SHEFEX I

The SHarp Edge Flight EXperiment I of DLR has been established to demonstrate the feasibility of space vehicles with facetted Thermal Protection System by keeping or improving aerodynamic properties. The TPS consists of simple flat panels with sharp edges and without any constrains in the system compatibility and reliability of space vehicles. This study presents the thermodynamic behaviour of SHEFEX I during the re-entry range 28 km down to 19 km using a multidisciplinary simulation. To compare the numerical with the experimental data flow and structural calculations have been performed using the flow solver TAU and the commercial thermal solver ANSYS controlled by a loose coupling environment. Major effects like influence of sensor response time, sensor position, and sensor projection are analysed to understand the potential source of errors in numerical modelling and their impact on the results. For the selected altitude range, the calculated temperature and heat fluxes compare good with the experimental data. (C) 2010 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.