Numerical Investigation of the Unstart Phenomenon in an Axisymmetric Supersonic Inlet

The numerical investigation into the dynamics of unsteady inlet flowfields is continued and applied to a generic axisymmetric, mixed-compression inlet designed for the supersonic transport application. The Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes equations are integrated in time using an explicit, multi-stage Runge-Kutta algorithm. Turbulence closure is provided by the one-equation model of Baldwin and Barth with the modifications proposed by Edwards. A modified version of the dynamic solution-adaptive grid algorithm of Benson and McRae is used in a fully coupled mode to resolve dynamically the features of the flow by enhancing the spatial accuracy of the simulations. Applications are to generic high speed axisymmetric inlets.