Coupling Boltzmann and Navier-Stokes equations by friction

The aim of this paper is to introduce and validate a coupled Navier-Stokes Boltzman approach for the calculation of hypersonic rarefied flows around manoeuvering vehicles. The proposed strategy uses locally a kinetic model in the boundary layer coupled through wall friction forces to a global Navier-Stokes solver. Different numerical experiments illustrate the potentialities of the method.