Numerical and experimental analyses on re-entry vehicle control surfaces

The present paper reports the design, execution and numerical rebuilding of two plasma wind tunnel experimental campaigns carried out with the aim to characterize the behaviour of a deflected control surface in high enthalpy reacting flow conditions. The experimental campaigns have been conceived to reproduce on the control surface the mechanical and thermal loads expected during a re-entry trajectory; in particular, the first campaing was devoted to the analysis of shock wave boundary layer interaction ahead a deflected surface, the aim being to reproduce at ground the same characteristic parameters of the interaction estimated in flight conditions along a re-entry trajectory whereas the second one was devoted to the analysis of the convective heating on the flap and inside the cavity and the radiative heating in the cavity region. Models and test definitions were carried out through a well-established numerical procedure; after the execution of the two experimental campaigns, the wide amount of measurements, acquired through intrusive sensors and optical diagnostic techniques, allowed for the numerical rebuilding of the tests and the comparison between numerical and experimental results.