Numerical Investigation of Stage Separation Control of Tandem Hypersonic Vehicles Based on Lateral Jet
The stage separation of hypersonic vehicles is critically challenged by severe aerodynamic interference, which induces significant attitude deviations and jeopardizes subsequent flight missions. This study investigates open-loop and closed-loop attitude control methods utilizing lateral jets to stab...
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MDPI AG
2025-03-01
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| author | Wenhua Guo Jiawei Fu Pengzhen He Shuling Tian |
| author_facet | Wenhua Guo Jiawei Fu Pengzhen He Shuling Tian |
| author_sort | Wenhua Guo |
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| description | The stage separation of hypersonic vehicles is critically challenged by severe aerodynamic interference, which induces significant attitude deviations and jeopardizes subsequent flight missions. This study investigates open-loop and closed-loop attitude control methods utilizing lateral jets to stabilize the forebody during separation. Dynamic CFD-based numerical simulations were conducted for a tandem hypersonic vehicle, analyzing trajectories and aerodynamic characteristics under free separation, open-loop, and closed-loop control. Results show that open-loop control achieves a maximum forebody pitch angle of only 0.27° at <inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><mrow><mi>α</mi><mo>=</mo><mn>0</mn><mo>°</mo></mrow></semantics></math></inline-formula>, but performance degrades drastically to 24.88° at <inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><mrow><mi>α</mi><mo>=</mo><mn>2.5</mn><mo>°</mo></mrow></semantics></math></inline-formula>, highlighting its sensitivity to freestream variations. In contrast, a cascade PID-based closed-loop control system dynamically adjusts lateral jet total pressure, reducing the maximum pitch angle to 0.006° at <inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><mrow><mi>α</mi><mo>=</mo><mn>0</mn><mo>°</mo></mrow></semantics></math></inline-formula> and maintaining it below 0.2° even at <inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><mrow><mi>α</mi><mo>=</mo><mn>5.0</mn><mo>°</mo></mrow></semantics></math></inline-formula>. The closed-loop system exhibits periodic fluctuations in jet pressure, with amplitude increasing alongside angle of attack, yet demonstrates superior robustness against aerodynamic disturbances. Flow field analysis reveals enhanced shockwave interactions and vortex dynamics under closed-loop control, effectively mitigating pitch instability. While open-loop methods are constrained to specific conditions, closed-loop control significantly broadens applicability across variable flight environments. |
| format | Article |
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| institution | DOAJ |
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| spelling | doaj-art-76e6f1276ff44ddc87b31d7f6d3fa1cb2025-08-20T03:14:23ZengMDPI AGAerospace2226-43102025-03-0112428610.3390/aerospace12040286Numerical Investigation of Stage Separation Control of Tandem Hypersonic Vehicles Based on Lateral JetWenhua Guo0Jiawei Fu1Pengzhen He2Shuling Tian3Key Laboratory of Unsteady Aerodynamics and Flow Control, Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 210016, ChinaShenyang Aircraft Design & Research Institute, Shenyang 110000, ChinaKey Laboratory of Unsteady Aerodynamics and Flow Control, Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 210016, ChinaKey Laboratory of Unsteady Aerodynamics and Flow Control, Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 210016, ChinaThe stage separation of hypersonic vehicles is critically challenged by severe aerodynamic interference, which induces significant attitude deviations and jeopardizes subsequent flight missions. This study investigates open-loop and closed-loop attitude control methods utilizing lateral jets to stabilize the forebody during separation. Dynamic CFD-based numerical simulations were conducted for a tandem hypersonic vehicle, analyzing trajectories and aerodynamic characteristics under free separation, open-loop, and closed-loop control. Results show that open-loop control achieves a maximum forebody pitch angle of only 0.27° at <inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><mrow><mi>α</mi><mo>=</mo><mn>0</mn><mo>°</mo></mrow></semantics></math></inline-formula>, but performance degrades drastically to 24.88° at <inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><mrow><mi>α</mi><mo>=</mo><mn>2.5</mn><mo>°</mo></mrow></semantics></math></inline-formula>, highlighting its sensitivity to freestream variations. In contrast, a cascade PID-based closed-loop control system dynamically adjusts lateral jet total pressure, reducing the maximum pitch angle to 0.006° at <inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><mrow><mi>α</mi><mo>=</mo><mn>0</mn><mo>°</mo></mrow></semantics></math></inline-formula> and maintaining it below 0.2° even at <inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><mrow><mi>α</mi><mo>=</mo><mn>5.0</mn><mo>°</mo></mrow></semantics></math></inline-formula>. The closed-loop system exhibits periodic fluctuations in jet pressure, with amplitude increasing alongside angle of attack, yet demonstrates superior robustness against aerodynamic disturbances. Flow field analysis reveals enhanced shockwave interactions and vortex dynamics under closed-loop control, effectively mitigating pitch instability. While open-loop methods are constrained to specific conditions, closed-loop control significantly broadens applicability across variable flight environments.https://www.mdpi.com/2226-4310/12/4/286hypersonic vehiclestage separationseparation controllateral jetnumerical simulation |
| spellingShingle | Wenhua Guo Jiawei Fu Pengzhen He Shuling Tian Numerical Investigation of Stage Separation Control of Tandem Hypersonic Vehicles Based on Lateral Jet Aerospace hypersonic vehicle stage separation separation control lateral jet numerical simulation |
| title | Numerical Investigation of Stage Separation Control of Tandem Hypersonic Vehicles Based on Lateral Jet |
| title_full | Numerical Investigation of Stage Separation Control of Tandem Hypersonic Vehicles Based on Lateral Jet |
| title_fullStr | Numerical Investigation of Stage Separation Control of Tandem Hypersonic Vehicles Based on Lateral Jet |
| title_full_unstemmed | Numerical Investigation of Stage Separation Control of Tandem Hypersonic Vehicles Based on Lateral Jet |
| title_short | Numerical Investigation of Stage Separation Control of Tandem Hypersonic Vehicles Based on Lateral Jet |
| title_sort | numerical investigation of stage separation control of tandem hypersonic vehicles based on lateral jet |
| topic | hypersonic vehicle stage separation separation control lateral jet numerical simulation |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2226-4310/12/4/286 |
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