Unsteady Supersonic Flows Past Two-Body Configurations with Different Separation Distances

Three-dimensional numerical simulations are conducted to investigate supersonic flow over capsule/canopy two-body configurations at a freestream Mach number of 2.0 and a freestream unit Reynolds number of 2.04×107  m−1
. Four cases representing different flow modes with varying distances from the forebody (capsule) to the afterbody (canopy) are carried out with detached eddy simulations. The flow evolutions and aerodynamic properties of the configurations are investigated. The pressure fluctuations on the inner surface of the afterbody show a strong correlation with the position of critical shear layers (containing high turbulence kinetic energy) in the wake of the forebody. A large pressure fluctuation is observed when the shear layer acts on the inner surface and vice versa. The drag of the afterbody mainly contributed by the pressure forces first decreases and then increases as the distance between the two bodies is increased. In addition, by analyzing the lateral force of the afterbody, it is found that the proximity of the bodies only has a weak effect on the lateral stability performance.