Direct numerical simulation of slender cones with variable nose bluntness based on graphics processing unit computation

Direct numerical simulation with up to 10 x 10(9) scale grid points based on graphics processing unit computation is carried out to investigate the bluntness effect on the hypersonic boundary-layer transition over a slender cone with zero angle of attack at Mach 6. Four cases with the nose radii of 1, 10, 20, and 40mm are conducted, and the corresponding Reynolds number based on the nose radius varies from 1.0 x 10(4) to 4.0 x 10(5). Random disturbances with a broad spectrum of frequencies and a wide range of azimuthal wavenumbers were applied to the wall to simulate disturbances caused by wall roughness. The numerical results show that as the nose tip radius increases, the transition position gradually moves downstream with increased transition region. For the case with a nose radius of 1 mm, the flow transition and entropy swallowing occur almost simultaneously, while for other cases, the transition takes place earlier than the entropy swallowing. In consequence, the disturbance amplitude upstream of the transition in the 1mm case is much larger than that of other cases. To further study the mechanism of the transition, the frequency spectrum analysis is carried out. It is found that all cases exhibit two characteristic frequencies within the transition region, i.e., the high frequency and extremely low frequency. Owing to the influence of the entropy layer, the characteristic high frequency of the 1mm case is significantly higher than that of other cases. With the increase in the nose radius, the characteristic frequency of the high frequency decreases gradually. Published under an exclusive license by AIP Publishing.

Automated summary

This study investigates the bluntness effect on hypersonic boundary-layer transition over a slender cone with zero angle of attack through direct numerical simulation. The results show that the transition position and region are influenced by the nose radius. While the flow transition and entropy swallowing happen almost simultaneously in the case with a 1mm nose radius, they occur earlier in the other cases. Frequency spectrum analysis reveals the presence of high frequency and extremely low frequency characteristic frequencies in all cases, with the 1mm case exhibiting significantly higher high frequency.