The design of hypersonic flight vehicles requires understanding and analysis of several complex phenomena including boundary-layer transition, shock/boundary-layer interactions, and conjugate heating. Furthermore, these phenomena are often tightly coupled in hypersonic systems and the successful design cycle must either solve these problems in a coupled fashion, or will take a number of iterations. In either case, it is imperative that moving forward computational design and analysis tools for hypersonic systems must become quicker to execute and thus more responsive to changes in requirements or design. This topic aims to develop and improve computational tools and methods able to quickly and efficiently model problems of interest to AFRL. 

We conduct basic and applied research in hypersonic aerodynamics primarily using computations. Development of fast and accurate tools is critical to the development of emerging Air Force systems. Mutually beneficial collaborations are sought in a broad range of research activities. Research opportunities include (but are not limited to) the following topics:

11)     Improving modeling speed using Reduced-Order Modeling, Algorithm Improvements, or Machine Learning/Artificial Intelligence.

22)     Exploring high-fidelity scale resolving simulations of turbulent and transitional flows. Determining best practices and analysis techniques.

33)    Exploring effects of surface roughness and protrusions on hypersonic flow fields and boundary layers. Finding ways to characterize and account for these roughnesses.

Case Number : AFRL-2021-0906 

key words

Hypersonic; Computational Fluid Dynamics; Modeling; Aerospace; Computers; Engineering

Citizenship:  Open to U.S. citizens

Level:  Open to Postdoctoral and Senior applicants