| Abstract: | Wave lift-to-drag ratio is analyzed ignoring friction and using flows behind oblique shock waves and rarefaction waves. It is shown that the lift-to-drag ratio of an infinite oblique plate can surpass considerably that of triangular plates with subsonic, sonic, or supersonic edges. The simplest finite-span oblique wing is a wing with characteristic edges. However, when the normal-to-the-edge flow velocity component behind a shock reaches the speed of sound, the wing contracts into an edge, and other means must be used to exclude the end effect. Several possible variants are indicated. A straight wedge with side plates is the optimal shape for a lifting body with fixed volume, lift, length, and width. Under the same conditions, the cross-section of a pyramidal body formed by stream planes behind one or two plane shocks has practically no effect on the lift-to-drag ratio, while the region of high lift-to-drag ratio is much narrower than for a wedge. If a pyramid fails to provide the required lift-to-drag ratio, it is necessary to turn to forms that better fill the given area. Redistribution of lift between body and wing permits an improvement in the lift-to-drag ratio.Translated from Izvestiya Rossiiskoi Akademii Nauk, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 5, pp. 134–141, September–October, 1993. |
