Work

Study on the effect of the fuselage profile on aerodynamic characteristics of HCW configuration

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: • The high-pressure capturing wing (HCW) configuration demonstrates superior aerodynamic performance across the hypersonic regime. • The fuselage profile plays an influential role in the aerodynamic characteristics of the HCW configuration. • The Kármán profile not only reduces fuselage drag but also increases lift on the capturing wing, resulting in lift-to-drag ratio improvement. The High-pressure Capturing Wing aerodynamic configuration (abbreviated as HCW) can enhance the aircraft's lift and lift-to-drag ratio through the effective utilization of favourable aerodynamic interference between the fuselage and the capturing wing (abbreviated as CW). Consequently, the fuselage shape significantly influences not only the aerodynamic characteristics of the fuselage but also those of the CW. In this study, based on the concept of a fuselage of revolution combined with CW, the effects of different fuselage profile shapes—specifically, conical profile, 3/4-power profile, and Kármán profile—on the aerodynamic characteristics of the HCW configuration are systematically investigated using a numerical simulation technique. The results indicate that while the 3/4-power and Kármán configurations differ from the conical configuration by employing non-uniform compression, which increases the fuselage volumes by 18.5 % and 48.1 %, respectively, they achieve drag reductions of 6.7 % and 1.1 % under the design condition at Ma = 6. Moreover, due to the influence of different fuselage profiles on the flow characteristics, the peak pressure on the lower surface of the CW is reduced for both the 3/4-power and Kármán configurations, while the area of the high-pressure zones is increased. Overall, compared to the conical configuration, the 3/4-power configuration exhibits a slight decrease in lift, whereas the Kármán configuration demonstrates a significant increase in lift. Both configurations achieve an increase in the lift-to-drag ratio. Additionally, an analysis of the effects of different Mach numbers (Ma = 7, Ma = 8) that as the Mach number increases, the lift becomes more sensitive for both the 3/4-power and Kármán configurations. However, compared to the conical configuration, both configurations keep exhibiting a decrease in overall drag and an increase in the lift-to-drag ratio. Furthermore, under different Mach number conditions, the centers of pressure for both configurations shift rearward.

Source: Aerospace Science and Technology

DOI: 10.1016/j.ast.2025.110752

Authors: Guangli Li, Tiantian Li, Xiaozhe Xi, Yao Xiao, Siyuan Chang, Kai Cui