Highly Integrated Inlet Design Based on the Ridge Concept

Controlling the boundary layer on the fuselage of flight vehicles and reducing its effects on the propulsive efficiency of integrated propulsion systems are among the most demanding requirements in advanced aerodynamic design. Among the applications, highly integrated inlets need serious consideration in relation to the swallowed boundary layer by the inlet entrance. In this paper, a new method of inlet/body integration based on the ridge concept is presented. The ridge is an aerodynamic surface that involves a vortex and a pressure gap to remove the boundary layer from the inlet entrance. The performance of the ridge in diverting the boundary layer and its flexibility are proven by numerical simulations for different cases. According to these simulations, the new integration method results in a clean entrance from the boundary layer with a significant reduction in the total cross-sectional area of the aircraft. The concept shows great potential to integrate or combine with different aerodynamic geometrie...