Parametric Study on Wing-Lambda-Shock Formation

It is well-known that a wing is one of the most important parts of an aircraft as it is used to generate lift force. According to a wing moving at sufficiently high subsonic speeds, the flow speed on the wing’s upper surface can be supersonic due to acceleration through the curvature-created suction, thereby forming a shock wave in a lambda shape. Additionally, the lambda shock can interact with the boundary layer flow. These phenomena relate to disturbances in the flow field, including flow separation, thus causing undesirable effects on lift production. Hence, a better understanding of the phenomenon of wing-lambda-shock formation and its nature is essential. This study presents a numerical investigation of the lambda-shock formation on an ONERA M6 wing, which is known as a swept, semi-span wing with no twist, under parametric effects of angle-of-attack, and free-stream Mach number, which is increased up to the supersonic regime. The pressure coefficients obtained by simulations are validated by open data. Then, numerical results in terms of the local pressure coefficient, local Mach number, averaged lift and drag coefficients, and λ-shape characteristics based on Mach number and pressure coefficients are discussed under an investigated range of the parameters. Results show that the angle-of-attack and free-stream Mach number can affect the lambda shock formation on the wing upper surface physically. Specifically, an iso-sonic surface with lambda shock waves is disturbed when the angle-of-attack and free-stream Mach number vary in an investigated range. This also affects lift and drag coefficients of the wing.

Evolution of Earth-like extended exospheres orbiting solar-like stars

Recent observations of the Earth’s exosphere revealed the presence of an extended hydrogenic component that could reach distances beyond 40 planetary radii. Detection of similar extended exospheres around Earth-like exoplanets could reveal crucial facts in terms of habitability. The presence of these rarified hydrogen envelopes is extremely dependent of the planetary environment, dominated by the ionizing radiation and plasma winds coming from the host star. Radiation and fast wind particles ionize the uppermost layers of planetary atmospheres, especially for planets orbiting active, young stars. The survival of the produced ions in the exosphere of such these planets is subject to the action of the magnetized stellar winds, particularly for unmagnetized bodies. In order to address these star-planet interactions, we have carried out numerical 2.5D ideal MHD simulations using the PLUTO code to study the dynamical evolution of tenuous, hydrogen-rich, Earth-like extended exospheres for an unmagnetized planet, at different stellar evolutionary stages: from a very young, solar-like star of 0.1 Gyr to a 5.0 Gyr star. For each star-planet configuration, we show that the morphology of extended Earth-like hydrogen exospheres is strongly dependent of the incident stellar winds and the produced ions present in these gaseous envelopes, showing that the ionized component of Earth-like exospheres is quickly swept by the stellar winds of young stars, leading to large bow shock formation for later stellar ages.

Diaphragmless shock tube for primary dynamic calibration of pressure meters

In conventional shock tubes with a diaphragm many effects related to the burst of the diaphragm can influence the shock formation and thus prevent an ideal pressure step change predicted by the shock tube measurement model being generated. This paper presents a newly developed diaphragmless shock tube, in which a diaphragm is replaced with a quick-acting pneumatic valve. The developed shock tube has a capability to generate pressure steps calculable from its measurement model with a relative expanded uncertainty of less than 0.025, which can be used as the input signal in primary calibrations of pressure meters.