Flight Mechanics of Hypersonic and High Altitude Vehicles (IIND-01/C, 6 CFU)

Special Master of Aerospace Engineering (Year: 1, Semester: 1)

The course focuses on aerospace vehicles that fly in the lower atmosphere under hypersonic conditions (i.e. sounding rockets, or in the upper atmosphere under buoyancy. The theoretical aspects are completed with exercises in Matlab/Simulink.

Module 1: Performance of hypersonic vehicles

(1) Review of the equations of motion over a flat and a spherical Earth.

(2) Aerodynamic forces (subsonic, transonic, supersonic and hypersonic regimes).

(3) Quasi-steady gliding and powered level flight, the T-D diagram.

(4) Climbing and ascent, the spaceport equation.

(5) Reentry and aerodynamic heating for (a) ballistic vehicles (b) gliders and (c) skip vehicles.

Module 2: Guidance and control of hypersonic vehicles

(1) Review of rigid body equations and mathematical models.

(2) Hypersonic stability derivatives: (a) rockets with cruciform empennage, (b) triform rockets and (c) slander flat triangular wings.

(3) Effects of aspect ratio and Mach number on: (a) damping in roll, (b) damping in pitch/yaw, (c) dihedral effect.

(4) Hypersonic control derivatives: (a) planar and cruciform configurations, (b) coupling and nonlinear effects, (c) maneuverability.

(5) Navigation systems: (a) seeker, (b) radar tracking and (c) infrared tracking; English bias.

(6) Guidance techniques: (a) homing, (b) PN, (c) APN and (d) hypersonic periodic cruise.

Module 3: High Altitude Platform Systems performance and control

(1) Drag and power requirements.

(2) Equations of steady-state motion in the vertical plane; ascent trajectory at: (a) fixed flight path angle, (b) fixed pitch angle and (c) zero thrust.

(3) Equations of steady-state motion in the horizontal plane: (a) horizontal circulation, (b) effects of sideslip, (c) nonlinear effects.

(4) Equations of steady-state motion along a helix.

(5) Perturbed motion and stability: (a) longitudinal motion and (b) lateral motion.

Module 4: Paragliders and parachutes

(1) Design of supersonic parachutes for interplanetary re-entry: (a) sizing, (b) inflation time; (c) stability.

(2) Parafoil dynamics: (a) equations of motion, (b) apparent mass and (c) enclosed mass).

(3) Trajectory tracking.

(4) Notes on FERRI.