<p dir="ltr">This thesis details the development of a multidisciplinary design analysis (MDA) framework intended to evaluate a rocket-powered, reusable hypersonic vehicle. In particular, the analysis framework computes the design closure of a coupled system resembling Stratolaunch Systems’ Talon-A reusable hypersonic test vehicle. The resulting analysis framework differs from available literature due to its focus upon payload-related design considerations. The presented framework, too, avoids the use of proprietary technical information and/or export-controlled analysis tools. The framework’s geometric analysis, for example, employs a reverse-engineered geometry resembling Talon-A. An open-source aerothermal package, too, was selected to evaluate the vehicle’s aerothermodynamic characteristics. Quick-to-implement methods were prioritized to expedite the development of the MDA framework. Notably, a regression-based structural analysis model was used, as well as an interpolative thermal protection system (TPS) sizing procedure. A quasi-steady trajectory model, too, was implemented within the MDA framework, to determine the vehicle’s mission performance. The resulting analysis takes the form of a six-discipline MDA framework that can calculate, among other parameters, the vehicle’s cruise duration. Initial design closure results for a vehicle resembling Talon-A, using an assumed TPS size, are currently available. These results report an estimated total vehicle mass within thirty percent of Talon-A’s true gross mass, as well as a cruise duration of approximately 445 seconds. These design closure results were also evaluated under a perturbed specific impulse of ±10%, with a resulting change in cruise duration of ±12.3%. Results for a cruise-condition design exploration procedure were also obtained within a simplified, sequential analysis chain. These design exploration results report a maximum cruise lift-to-drag ratio of approximately four. Future work has been identified, too, including the integration of more rigorous analysis tools for use within future iterations of the MDA framework. Notably, these tools include an open-source optimal control library, as well as a physics-based TPS sizing tool</p>
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:purdue.edu/oai:figshare.com:article/25678050 |
| Date | 26 April 2024 |
| Creators | Joseph John Galkowski (18431871) |
| Source Sets | Purdue University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text, Thesis |
| Rights | CC BY 4.0 |
| Relation | https://figshare.com/articles/thesis/MULTIDISCIPLINARY_ANALYSIS_OF_A_REUSABLE_ROCKET-POWERED_HYPERSONIC_VEHICLE/25678050 |
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