Nonlinear and Angle of Attack Effects in High-Enthalpy Hypersonic Boundary Layers

This study quantifies the sensitivity of high-enthalpy hypersonic boundary layer transition to nonlinearity and angle of attack. Recently, the NATO working group STO AVT-346 conducted a multi-agency numerical-experimental comparison study of high-enthalpy hypersonic boundary layer transition. The study showed good agreement between the numerical models considered, but there was a discrepancy between the experimental observations and the numerical models. This manuscript outlines the likely cause of this discrepancy. A 5-degree half-angle straight cone model with 2 mm nose bluntness and 293.2 K wall temperature at freestream Mach 5.13 with air as test gas and enthalpy of [Formula: see text] at reservoir conditions is considered.