Interaction of Liquid Droplets with Supersonic Flows around Projectiles with Sharp and Blunted Leading Edges

Precipitation and suspended droplets in the atmosphere present a significant erosion risk to vehicles traveling and high-supersonic and hypersonic speeds. We will present the results of simulations considering the interactions of droplets with both sharp and blunt projectiles in a high-supersonic (Mach 3) flow environment. We use an empirical drag model and the KHRT aerodynamic breakup model to provide physically-reasonable droplet behavior, and describe the interaction of the droplets with the flow field in the post-shock region of the flow as well as the boundary layer along the projectile surface. We investigate the influence of body geometry and the interplay with droplet clouds of varying densities and particle sizes.