New answers tagged drag
4
My source is STUDIES OF HIGH LIFT/DRAG RATIO HYPERSONIC CONFIGURATIONS by John V. Becker, to be found online here. It is from 1964, so more than 50 years old, but since a lot of research had been performed already before that date, it might still be relevant.
In short: It depends. On thickness ratio and Reynolds number, for example, as can be seen in this ...
2
You could argue for one or for both, but ultimately, it doesn't matter - as long as you are consistent and use the same reference area throughout your calculation/analysis.
If I personally were to choose, I would go for both, on the basis of total lifting area.
EDIT for details ------
Well yet again, it doesn't matter. You will get some value for your $C_{...
1
Curiously, when we plug some numbers, L/D comparison of the "waverider" get better and better as Mach increases:
M
$\frac{4 \cdot (M+3)}{M}$
$\frac{6 \cdot (M+2)}{M}$
1
16
18
2
10
12
3
8
10
4
7
9
5
6.4
8.4
This confirms that supersonic aircraft do better as "bottom lifters", essentially an extrapolation of supercritical wing design....
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