EXPERIMENTAL RAREFIED AERODYNAMIC FORCES AT HYPERSONIC CONDITIONS OVER 70-DEGREE BLUNTED CONE

The blunted cone has been chosen as a test case model to provide both experimental and computational databases in the field of hypersonic an d rarefied flow conditions. Some preliminary results have already been presented at the Fourth European High-Velocity Database Workshop; the present work, focused on aerodynamic forces, gives a complete set of experimental data. Experiments have been conducted in the SR3 facility at a freestream Mach number close to 20 and for Reynolds numbers rang ing from 1522 to 34,855, calculated using freestream conditions and th e model base diameter. Aerodynamic forces and moments are presented fo r three levels of flow rarefaction and for model angles of attack betw een 0 and 30 deg. In parallel with the experimental work, flow calcula tions were made by an international group of researchers for identical test conditions. Examples of comparisons between experimental and com putational aerodynamic forces are also indicated.