Adjoint Techniques and Acoustic Three Zone Method for the Accurate Design of Low Boom Maneuvers (ATAtZM-DLBM)

The developed capability will allow NASA analysts to effectively couple an efficient procedure to characterize the design space of a low-boom supersonic transport with a very badly needed multizone method for the prediction of focused ground boom signatures and/or their mitigation maneuvers. Our team truly believes that the three zone method will allow NASA to focus more on the "nearfield" nature of the CFD flowfield (i.e. propulsion plumes with shocks and expansions) and less on requiring grid convergence studies for 2 to 20 body lengths in order to achieve proper ground signature predictions. Potential other NASA applications include the accurate prediction of a focused boom of an accelerating launch vehicle of a supersonic fighter jet. With commercial launches becoming more safe and commonplace (i.e. SpaceX and Orbital Sciences), one may expect closer proximity to inhabited zones in the future and therefore more accurate focused boom prediction. Finally, capsule reentry booms (i.e. Orion) will eventually need to be more accurately predicted as manned spaceflight becomes commonplace.

Ultimately, the primary non-NASA application will involve more accurate prediction of "boom" footprints of supersonic fighters being operated by Air-Forces around the world. Moreover, AFRL could use this technology for the design of its next generation fighters and bombers. Needless to say, when approved for export control (obviously only certain aspects of this technology could be), we will be able to commercialize the capability to numerous companies, including the prime airframers, and allied governments and their respective space agencies. More »