The drive to develop hypersonic vehicles is illustrated by a synthetic history of hypersonics since WW II. The key feature of flying hypersonically are the kinetic energy dominating over enthalpy. The motivations for current interest in hypersonics are listed, and the two major applications, airbreathing engines powered vehicles and ballistics re-entry, are compared. This shows that in many military applications powered and glider vehicles have advantages over ballistic missiles. The fundamental aerodynamics issues associated to hypersonics (stagnation temperatures and pressures, low L/D, effect of shape) are briefly mentioned, to be developed at length in the next chapters. Basic information about normal and oblique shocks is reviewed and the definition of hypersonics in terms of the Mach number is justified by the relative importance of airstream kinetic energy in comparison to enthalpy.


    Access

    Check access

    Check availability in my library

    Order at Subito €


    Export, share and cite



    Title :

    Why Hypersonic Propulsion?


    Additional title:

    sp propuls


    Contributors:


    Publication date :

    2023-11-28


    Size :

    17 pages




    Type of media :

    Article/Chapter (Book)


    Type of material :

    Electronic Resource


    Language :

    English




    Hypersonic propulsion

    Anderson, G. Y. | NTRS | 1975


    Hypersonic propulsion

    Beach, H. L., Jr. | NTRS | 1979


    Hypersonic transport propulsion

    Online Contents | 1996


    Hypersonic airbreathing propulsion

    Avery, W.H. / Dugger, G.L. | Engineering Index Backfile | 1964


    Hypersonic propulsion research

    Northam, G. Burton | NTRS | 1987