The influence of moderate strut-angle variation on shock structure, mixing development and combustion performance in the German Aerospace Center (DLR) scramjet combustor has not been systematically clarified. This study aims to investigate the performance enhancement of a hydrogen-fueled DLR scramjet through targeted optimization of strut angles, focusing on 10° and 14° configurations relative to the baseline 12° geometry.
Simulations were performed for both nonreacting and reacting flows using a high-speed compressible framework validated against experimental data. Fuel–air mixing and combustion efficiency were quantified along the combustor length to establish geometry–performance correlations.
The 10° configuration demonstrated superior performance, achieving a combustion efficiency of 61.6%, exceeding the baseline (60%) and significantly outperforming the 14° case (53%). Full mixing was attained at 260 mm, earlier than the baseline (280 mm) and 14° (320 mm) configurations, indicating enhanced shock-induced mixing and accelerated combustion development.
Improved mixing compactness enables shorter combustor length requirements and supports the development of aerodynamically efficient scramjet architectures.
This study establishes a direct link between moderate strut-angle variation and shock-driven mixing enhancement, providing new design-oriented insight into geometry-controlled combustion optimization in hydrogen scramjet systems.
