A parameterized geometry design method for inward turning inlet compatible waverider

Intensive studies have been carried out on generations of waverider geometry and hypersonic inlet geometry. However, integration efforts of waverider and related air-intake system are restricted majorly around the X43A-like or conical flow field induced configuration, which adopts mainly the two-dimensional air-breathing technology and limits the judicious visions of developing new aerodynamic profiles for hypersonic designers. A novel design approach for integrating the inward turning inlet with the traditional parameterized waverider is proposed. The proposed method is an alternative means to produce a compatible configuration by linking the off-the-shelf results on both traditional waverider techniques and inward turning inlet techniques. A series of geometry generations and optimization solutions is proposed to enhance the lift-to-drag ratio. A quantitative but efficient aerodynamic performance evaluation approach (the hypersonic flow panel method) with lower computational cost is employed to play the role of objective function for optimization purpose. The produced geometry compatibility with a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) solver is also verified for detailed flow field investigation. Optimization results and other numerical validations are obtained for the feasibility demonstration of the proposed method.