Machine Learning Applications in Modelling and Analysis of Base Pressure in Suddenly Expanded Flows

Base pressure becomes a decisive factor in governing the base drag of aerodynamic vehicles. While several experimental and numerical methods have already been used for base pressure analysis in suddenly expanded flows, their implementation is quite time-consuming. Therefore, we must develop a progressive approach to determine base pressure (β). Furthermore, a direct consideration of the influence of flow and geometric parameters cannot be studied by using these methods. This study develops a platform for data-driven analysis of base pressure (β) prediction in suddenly expanded flows, in which the influence of flow and geometric parameters including Mach number (M), nozzle pressure ratio (η), area ratio (α), and length to diameter ratio (φ) have been studied. Three different machine learning (ML) models, namely, artificial neural networks (ANN), support vector machine (SVM), and random forest (RF), have been trained using a large amount of data developed from response equations. The response equations for base pressure (β) were created using the response surface methodology (RSM) approach. The predicted results are compared with the experimental results to validate the proposed platform. The results obtained from this work can be applied in the right way to maximize base pressure in rockets and missiles to minimize base drag.

Effect of Cavities in Suddenly Expanded Flow at Supersonic Mach Number

The contribution from the base drag due to the sub-atmospheric pressure is significant. It can be more than two-thirds of the net drag. There is a need to increase the base pressure and hence decrease the base drag. This research examines the effect of Mach Number on base pressure. To accomplish this objective, it controls the efficacy in an enlarged duct computed by the numerical approach using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) Analysis. This experiment was carried out by considering the expansion level and the aspect cavity ratio. The computational fluid dynamics method is used to model supersonic motion with the sudden expansion, and a convergent-divergent nozzle is used. The Mach number is 1.74 for the present study, and the area ratio is 2.56. The L/D ratio varied from 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10, and the simulated nozzle pressure ratio ranged from 3 to 11. The two-dimensional planar design used commercial software from ANSYS. The airflow from a Mach 1.74 convergent-divergent axi-symmetric nozzle expanded suddenly into circular ducts of diameters 17 and 24.5 mm with and without annular rectangular cavities. The diameter of the duct is taken D=17mm and D=24.5mm. The C-D nozzle was developed and modeled in the present study: K-ε standard wall function turbulence model was used with the commercial computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and validated. The result indicates that the base pressure is impacted by the expansion level, the enlarged duct size, and the passage’s area ratio.

Drag Reduction by Application of Different Shape Designs in a Sport Utility Vehicle

Road vehicles drag is a direct consequence of a large wake area generated behind. This area is created owing to the vehicle shape, which is determined by the class, functional and aesthetic of the vehicle. Aerodynamic characteristics are a ramification and not the reason for the vehicle architecture. To enhance pressure recovery in the wake region, hence reduce drag, three different passive flow control techniques were applied to sport-utility-vehicle (SUV). A three-dimensional SUV was designed in CATIA, and a numerical flow simulation was conducted using Ansys-Fluent to evaluate the aerodynamic effectiveness of the proposed flow control approaches. A closed rectangular flap as an add-on device modifies the wake vortex system topology, enhances vortex merging, and increases base pressure which leads to a drag reduction of 15.87%. The perforated roof surface layer was used to delay flow separation. The measured base pressure values indicate a higher-pressure recovery, which globally reflected in a drag reduction of 19.82%. Finally, air guided through side rams was used as steady blowing. A steady passive air jet introduced at the core of the longitudinal trailing vortices leads to a confined wake area. The net effects appear in a global increase in the base pressure values and the pronounced drag reduction of 22.67%.

Mitigation of Antisymmetric Mode and Drag with Base Cavities

Experiments were carried out to examine the impact of base cavities on the base pressure fluctuations and total drag of a cylindrical afterbody for freestream Mach numbers 0.6-1.5. Significant improvement in the base pressure and a substantial reduction in the afterbody drag was noticed in the presence of a base cavity at subsonic Mach numbers. However, on increasing the cavity length beyond a certain value its performance deteriorates. At supersonic Mach numbers their effectiveness drops drastically. Tones in the spectra can be classified into two types depending on the dominant azimuthal mode which is either 0 or 1 and are referred to as symmetric and an antisymmetric mode, respectively. Spectra at subsonic Mach numbers exhibit tones which are related either to mode 0 or 1. However, at supersonic Mach numbers only tones related to mode 0 exist. The base cavity either, effectively suppress the antisymmetric mode or modify it into a symmetric mode resulting in mitigation of the tones related to antisymmetric mode.

Effect of Passive Flow Control Devices on Base Pressure for Mach Numbers Between 0.5 and 1.4

Experimental studies are carried out on an axisymmetric cylindrical base body for six freestream Mach numbers between 0.54 to 1.41. Unsteady pressure is measured on the base surface using high-frequency response Kulite pressure transducers. The effect of passive flow control devices on the mean base pressure and the unsteady characteristics of base pressure has been studied. A blunt base, a conventional cavity device and three different ventilated cavity devices have been tested along with four different rounded base lip devices. A total of 20 different base geometric modifications are tested at six freestream Mach numbers resulting in 120 test cases. The cavity devices improve the base pressure as compared to the blunt base case. Among all the cases considered, a maximum increase of 8.6% in the base pressure coefficient is noticed for the Normal Ventilated Cavity device as compared to the blunt base case for freestream Mach number of 1.22. The power spectral density of base pressure fluctuations revealed the dominant peaks on the base surface. The shear layer flapping frequency for all the cases have been found and the Strouhal number based on base diameter varies between 0.2 to 0.27. In the presence of cavity devices, dominant peaks are observed in the range of 2 kHz to 8 kHz which can be attributed to the vigorous action within the recirculation bubble. Maximum reduction in base pressure fluctuation is observed for the Normal & Inclined Ventilated Cavity device configuration test cases.

Passive Control of Base Pressure: A Review

In the present world, passive control finds application in various areas like flow over blunt projectiles, missiles, supersonic parallel diffusers (for cruise correction), the engine of jets, static testbeds of rockets, the ports of internal combustion engines, vernier rockets, and single expansion ramp nozzle (SERN) rockets. In this review, various passive control techniques to control the base pressure and regulate the drag force are discussed. In the study, papers ranging from subsonic, sonic, and supersonic flow are discussed. Different types of passive control management techniques like cavity, ribs, dimple, static cylinder, spikes, etc., are discussed in this review article. This study found that the passive control device can control the base pressure, resulting in an enhancement in the base pressure and reducing the base drag. Also, passive control is very efficient whenever there is a favorable pressure gradient at the nozzle exit.