Multi-Objective Aerothermal Optimization of Blunt Body in Hypersonic Flow

Aerodynamic drag and aerothermal heating are critical design challenges in hypersonic flight. In this work, a surrogate-assisted multi-objective optimization framework, coupled with high-fidelity computations, is employed to simultaneously minimize aerodynamic drag and maximum surface heat flux of a blunt-nosed configuration in hypersonic flow. The Pareto-optimal geometries achieve up to 33% reduction in total drag, 51% reduction in stagnation-point heat flux, and 32% reduction in maximum heat flux relative to the baseline geometry. The optimal geometries have a forward-facing cavity near the stagnation region, which modifies the bow shock, increases the shock standoff distance, and reduces aerodynamic drag and thermal loads. Further analysis of the Pareto-optimal set using principal component analysis, functional analysis of variance, and self-organizing maps demonstrates the influence of forebody shape on both drag reduction and thermal load mitigation.