Design of Supersonic Inlet Based on Shock Wave

Integration of airframe and propulsion system is one of the most challenging steps in flight vehicle design cycles. In this paper, a three-dimensional supersonic inlet based on the wave-derived geometry technique has been designed and analyzed. Although the considered method was created for hypersonic forbodies, the idea is fully operational for the low supersonic inlet design at Mach 1.6. The inlet concept in this paper is formed from predefined profile elements which are used to generate the three-dimensional geometry in an oblique shock pattern. By this approach, the curved corner of the inlet entrance edge can generate the same shock as the main compression surface and also these curved surfaces provide the optimum transition between entrance geometry and compressor face which is important for the airflow quality and propulsive efficiency. The new concept has been validated by a series of accurate CFD simulations with completely structural grid domains. The major inlet's performance factors like total pressure recovery, flow distortion and mass flow capture ratio are calculated. The concept and it's accurate numerical simulations create a baseline for more advanced designs and researches about the three-dimensional inlets and geometry transition techniques between the different sections of duct.