Hypersonic flight transition data analysis using parabolized stability equations with chemistry effects

Analysis of boundary-layer transition data from supersonic quiet tunnels, as well as flight experiments has indicated that, in the absence of surface roughness and high levels of freestream disturbances, linear stability theory can be used as a guide for estimation of the onset of transition. Transition data from two different hypersonic flight experiments are analyzed using parabolized stability equations, including chemistry effects associated with high-temperature boundary layers. The results suggest that transition in both of these cases is caused by the amplification of second mode disturbances. The analysis shows that, consistent with previous findings for supersonic flows where first mode disturbances induce laminar-turbulent transition, N factors of about 9.5 and 11.2 correlate the transition onset locations from these two high-Mach-number experiments. Therefore, the e(N) method can be used for smooth body transition prediction in hypersonic vehicle design. The effect of chemistry on boundary-layer stability is also studied and is shown to be destabilizing.