Research on Three-Dimensional Scramjet Inlet

The numerical simulation was conducted to investigate three-dimensional sidewall compression scramjet inlet flow fields. The research also looked into the effects of cowl positions and strut thickness. It is noted that flow separation occurs at the sidewall shock impingement location. Forward cowl results in the growth of the separation region, ultimately inlet unstart for 75mm cowl position. The glancing shock also separates the baseplate boundary layer. The flow is entrained toward the centerline, which is attributed to a low total pressure region in the inlet exit plane. In addition, an increase in the mass capture is obtained as the decrease in the strut thickness, while the total pressure recovery undergoes a process from reducing to increasing, which is attributed to the compromise between shrinking separation and the lengthening inlet.