Experimental and computational studies of low-speed aerodynamic performance and flow characteristics around a supersonic biplane

One of the most critical technical issues with regard to supersonic commercial transportation is the sonic boom that occurs during supersonic cruising flight, which causes impulsive noise on the ground. The "supersonic biplane theory" has been proposed to reduce the sonic boom. Shock wave interaction and cancellation between the wings of a supersonic biplane can be realized at a specific design Mach number, but does not work at off-design values. Here, the low-speed aerodynamic performance, as off-design performance, of a baseline supersonic biplane was investigated and discussed using experimental and computational fluid dynamics approaches. The thin airfoil stall characteristics of a supersonic biplane were shown to be caused by the stall of both upper and lower wings at an angle of attack of 20°. Although there was leading flow separation of the upper wing at lower angles of attack, the stall of the lower wing was suppressed by interference with the upper wing. The lift of the lower wing was almost dominant to produce the lift of the supersonic biplane in the low-speed range. However, the lower wing caused greater drag than the upper wing at higher angles of attack.