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Abstract
Interest in hypersonic flight has grown rapidly in recent decades, especially within thespace and defense industries. As research and development in this area has matured, associated heat transfer phenomena, as well as the aerothermodynamics of hypersonic flight have assumed increasing importance. One continuing challenge centers on ab- lation at leading edges of hypersonic vehicles. This process drastically changes flight dynamics, and complicates flight performance prediction and vehicle design. In this thesis, both numerical and experimental investigations have been undertaken in order to study the effectiveness of a forward facing cavity on reducing heat transfer at the leading edge of a missile-shaped body. This effort aims to validate the forward facing cavity as a means of reducing heat loads. An additional focus centers on investigating the impact of gas equation of state on predicted fluid dynamics, as well as flow-to- vehicle heat transfer, where hypersonic flows are simulated for bodies having both solid noses and on-nose cavities. It is shown that the introduction of a forward facing cavity reduces overall heat loading. In addition, numerically predicted heat loads are strongly dependent on the gas equation of state used. Physical interpretations of the numerical results provide insight into both gas model choice and the physics of the non-equilibrium flow that exists between a forward bow shock and the missile body.