Vehicle having a body with a nose section
A vehicle having a body extending between a nose section and a tail section. The nose section terminating at a tip. The body having a centerline axis extending from the tip. The nose section having an outer wall terminating at the tip. The outer wall including an outer wall centerline axis, an inner surface and an outer surface. The outer wall having a thickness between the inner surface and the outer surface, when viewed in a horizontal plane extending along the centerline axis; wherein the inner surface has a nose thickness (t nose ) at the tip; and the outer wall has a local thickness (t local ) offset from the tip along the outer wall centerline axis, the local thickness (t local ) being larger than the nose thickness (t nose ).
1 . A vehicle, comprising:
a body extending between a nose section and a tail section, the nose section terminating at a tip, and the body being defined by a centerline axis extending from the tip, the nose section comprising:
an outer wall terminating at the tip, the tip defining an axially forwardmost portion of the nose section with respect to the centerline axis, the outer wall including an outer wall centerline axis, an inner surface and an outer surface, the outer wall formed of a single layer having a thickness between the inner surface and the outer surface, when viewed in a horizontal plane extending along the centerline axis;
wherein:
the outer wall has a nose thickness (t nose ) at the tip; and
the outer wall has a local thickness (t local ) offset from the tip along the outer wall centerline axis, the local thickness (t local ) being larger than the nose thickness (t nose ),
and wherein the nose section includes a porous material provided between the inner surface and the outer surface and the tail section includes a non-porous material, the outer wall including the porous material transitioning to the non-porous material in the single layer at a transition point.
2 . The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the nose section includes a flared cross-section along the outer wall centerline axis aft of the tip.
3 . The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the nose section has a nose heat flux (q nose ) at the tip and a local heat flux (q local ) at a respective portion of the outer wall, and the local thickness (t local ) is defined by the relationship:
t
local
=
t
nose
(
q
nose
q
local
)
.
4 . The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the local thickness (t local ) linearly increases from the nose thickness (t nose ) in the aft direction.
5 . The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the porous material of the nose section has:
a nose permeability (K nose ) defined by the permeability of the outer wall at the tip; and
a local permeability (K local ) defined by the permeability of a respective portion of the outer wall axially aft of the tip.
6 . The vehicle of claim 5 , wherein the nose section has a nose heat flux (q nose ) at the tip and a local heat flux (q local ) at the respective portion of the outer wall, and the local permeability (K local ) is defined by the relationship:
K
local
=
K
nose
(
t
local
t
nose
)
(
q
local
q
nose
)
.
7 . The vehicle of claim 5 , wherein the nose section has a nose heat flux (q nose ) at the tip and a local heat flux (q local ) at the respective portion of the outer wall, and the local thickness (t local ) is defined by the relationship:
t
local
=
t
nose
(
K
local
K
nose
)
(
q
nose
q
local
)
.
8 . The vehicle of claim 5 , wherein the nose permeability (K nose ) is larger than the local permeability (K local ).
9 . The vehicle of claim 5 , wherein the nose section includes a plurality of local permeabilities that are equal to or non-equal to each other.
10 . The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the outer wall defines a nose interior and the vehicle further comprises a cooling circuit at least partially defined by the nose interior and exhausting through the porous material to the outer surface.
11 . The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the vehicle is a hypersonic vehicle.
12 . The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the vehicle is a supersonic aircraft.
13 . A vehicle, comprising:
a body extending between a nose section and a tail section, the nose section terminating at a tip, and the body being defined by a centerline axis extending from the tip, the nose section formed in a single layer comprising:
an outer wall terminating at the tip, the tip defining an axially forwardmost portion of the nose section with respect to the centerline axis, the outer wall including an outer wall centerline axis, an inner surface and an outer surface, the outer wall having a thickness between the inner surface and the outer surface, when viewed in a horizontal plane extending along the centerline axis; and
a porous material provided along at least a portion of the outer wall;
wherein:
the outer wall has a nose permeability (K nose ) defined by the permeability of the outer wall at the tip; and
the outer wall has a local permeability (K local ) is defined by the permeability of a respective portion of the outer wall axially aft of the tip, with respect to the centerline axis, the local permeability (K local ) being non-equal to the nose permeability (K nose ),
and wherein the nose section includes the porous material provided between the inner surface and the outer surface and the tail section includes a non-porous material, the outer wall including the porous material transitioning to the non-porous material in the single layer at a transition point.
14 . The vehicle of claim 13 , wherein the nose section has a nose heat flux (q nose ) at the tip and a local heat flux (q local ) at the respective portion of the outer wall, and the local permeability (K local ) is defined by the relationship:
K
local
=
K
nose
(
q
local
q
nose
)
.
15 . The vehicle of claim 13 , wherein the nose permeability (K nose ) is larger than the local permeability (K local ).
16 . The vehicle of claim 13 , wherein the nose section includes a thickness between the inner surface and the outer surface, when viewed in the horizontal plane, and the nose section includes:
a nose thickness (t nose ) at the tip; and
a local thickness (t local ) axially aft of the tip, the local thickness (t local ) being larger than the nose thickness (t nose ) such that the nose section includes a flared cross-section along the outer wall centerline axis.
17 . The vehicle of claim 16 , wherein the nose section has a nose heat flux (q nose ) at the tip and a local heat flux (q local ) at the respective portion of the outer wall, and the local permeability (K local ) is defined by the relationship:
K
local
=
K
nose
(
t
local
t
nose
)
(
q
local
q
nose
)
.
18 . The vehicle of claim 13 , wherein the vehicle is a hypersonic vehicle.
19 . The vehicle of claim 13 , wherein the outer wall defines a nose interior and the vehicle further comprises a cooling circuit at least partially defined by the nose interior and exhausting through the porous material to the outer surface.