MINIMUM-DRAG AXISYMMETRICAL BODIES IN THE SUPERSONIC HYPERSONIC FLOW REGIMES

A study of minimum-drag body shapes was conducted over a Mach range fr om 3 to 12. Numerical results show that power-law bodies result in low -drag shapes, where the power n = 0.69 (l/d = 3) or n = 0.70 (l/d = 5) shapes have lower drag than theoretical minimum results (n = 0.75 or 0.66, depending on the particular form of the theory). To evaluate the results, a numerical analysis was made, including viscous effects and the effect of a gas model. None of these considerations altered the c onclusions. The Hayes minimum-drag body was analyzed and had a higher drag than the optimum power-law body.