Performance of wavecatcher intakes at angles of attack and sideslip

A wavecatcher type scramjet intake, that reduces the Mach number number from 4 to 1.552, is used as the basis for a study of flow starting/unstarting as affected by freestream angles of attack and sideslip. The intake design is based on a morphed streamtube consisting of two conical flow streamlines using streamline tracing and osculating axisymmetric design theory. Intake flow and performance is modeled using the numerical CFD code and the k-ε turbulence model. The intake unstarts at a sideslip angle of 2°, a positive angle of attack of 1°. Both positive angle of attack and sideslip angle have an adverse effect on the startability of the MBus intake. At negative angles, the intake initially unstarts at −5° angle of attack, due to the thickened shear layer induced by the streamwise vortex. Then it re-starts at −8° angle of attack, mainly due to the expansion fan formed at the leading edge, causing the shock wave structures inside the intake to be re-established.