Airframe-Propulsion Integration Design and Optimization

Airframe-propulsion integration design is one of the key technologies of the hypersonic vehicle. With the development of hypersonic vehicle design method, CFD technology, and optimization method, it is possible to improve the conceptual design of airframe-propulsion integration both in accuracy and efficiency. In this chapter, design methods of waverider airframes and propulsion systems, including inlets, nozzles, isolators, and combustors, are reviewed and discussed in the light of CFD analyses. Thereafter, the Busemann inlet, a three-dimensional flow-stream traced nozzle, and a circular combustor together with a cone-derived waverider are chosen to demonstrate the airframe-propulsion integration design. The propulsion system is optimized according to the overall performance, and then the component such as the nozzle is optimized to obtain a better conceptual configuration.