Published online by Cambridge University Press: 07 June 2016
A review of existing work in the field of linearised characteristics suggests that the hypersonic approximation introduced by Chapkis should be adequate in many cases of practical interest; furthermore, of the methods available, this approximation requires least computation for the calculation of pressure distributions on a given shape at given speed. The application of this method to sharp-edged conical shapes shows good agreement with measured zero-incidence pressure distributions for a variety of shapes and a wide range of hypersonic parameter. The agreement is less good at incidence, possibly due to flow separations in the real flow.