Optimization of Conical Wings in Hypersonic Flow

A method of calculation is presented to determine conical wing shapes that minimize the coefficient of (wave) drag, C _D, for a fixed coefficient of lift, C _L, in steady, hypersonic flow. An optimization problem is considered for the compressive flow underneath wings at a small angle of attack δ and at a high free-stream Mach number M _∞ so that hypersonic small-disturbance (HSD) theory applies. A figure of merit, F=C _D/C _L ^3/2, is computed for each wing using a finite volume discretization of the HSD equations. A set of design variables that determine the shape of the wing is defined and adjusted iteratively to find a shape that minimizes F for a given value of the hypersonic similarity parameter, H= (M _∞δ)⁻², and planform area. Wings with both attached and detached bow shocks are considered. Optimal wings are found for flat delta wings and for a family of caret wings. In the flat-wing case, the optima have detached bow shocks while in the caret-wing case, the optimum has an attached bow shock. An improved drag-to-lift performance is found using the optimization procedure for curved wing shapes. Several optimal designs are found, all with attached bow shocks. Numerical experiments are performed and suggest that these optima are unique. Received 1 May 1998 and accepted 14 October 1998