Numerical Investigation of Effects of Wing Thickness, Angle of Attack and Sweep Angle on Supersonic Flow over Delta Wings

Navier-Stokes simulation is performed to investigate the effects of wing thickness, angle of attack and sweep angle on supersonic flows over delta wings. Only steady-state solution is considered in the present work. Free stream Mach number 2.8, angle of attack α = 12 - 40 and sweep angle Λ = 40 - 80 are considered. The computational results reveal that wing thickness has significant influence on the secondary vortex, while the pressure distribution is only slightly altered. A cross-flow shock emerges on the top of the primary vortex and moves outward with increasing sweep angle. The vortex-breakdown occurs at angle of attack about α = 40 and, in the cases considered, has only minor effect on the aerodynamic forces.