The Characteristics of Two-Dimensional Sails in Hypersonic Flow

Abstract

The aerodynamic and geometric characteristics of two-dimensional sails in a hypersonic flow are investigated in this paper. These surfaces would have very large lift and drag per unit weight. Therefore, they appear attractive wherever large values of the parameters CLA/W or CDA/W are needed. Simple closed expressions are derived for the sail shape and the corresponding lift, drag, and moment coefficients. Charts of these quantities are presented for the entire useful design range. The results can also be applied to two-dimensional parachutes.