Abstract
Missile is a self-propelled vehicle flying at supersonic speeds. Their payloads are usually explosive and are also known as warheads. These warheads are used to destroy a pre-set target. The aim of this paper is to optimize the values of the lift and drag forces on the given missile for better aerodynamic performance, by carrying out numerical simulations over the supersonic missile by varying the angle of attack through a set of suitable boundary conditions, while keeping the Mach number of the missile as a fixed parameter. Aerodynamic performance of the missile is studied by varying the angle of attack from 0 to 12 degrees. For every angle of attack, the coefficient of lift and coefficient of drag variations were studied in detail and were compared with the existing literature survey so as to obtain the maximum value of CL/CD ratio in order to improve the efficiency. A model of the missile was designed to-scale on Space Claim and the flow analysis was done on FLUENT standalone system using ANSYS 16 workbench. The results obtained, were in the form of flow contours of parameters such as velocity, temperature, density, pressure and turbulence. Through these flow contours the maximum and minimum values of all parameters, as well as the variation in these parameters were estimated. From the numerical analysis it was found that maximum value of CL/CD ratio was 2.5 at 12o angle of attack. It was also found that the velocity increased with increase in angle of attack and increased the efficiency. These results are advantageous upcoming to designers who aim to build aerodynamically efficient missiles.
Highlights
Missile is a self-propelled weapon often having a type of guidance system and usually carries a payload consisting of explosives known as warheads, capable of causing mass destruction
The subsonic missiles fly at Mach 0.9 and below whereas the hypersonic missile operates above Mach 5
The major mechanisms used in a missile include the Guidance systems, Propulsion systems, Aerodynamic systems and Structural systems which are controlled by the fins, air frame, warhead, etc
Summary
Missile is a self-propelled weapon often having a type of guidance system and usually carries a payload consisting of explosives known as warheads, capable of causing mass destruction. The cruise missiles are further classified on the basis of speed as subsonic, supersonic and hypersonic missiles. The aerodynamic characteristics and design of all these three types of missiles will vary greatly because of the variation in the cruise speed and flight conditions. The grid fins, known as the Lattice fins have been widely used on conventional missiles as its structure is designed to avoid the blockage of the airflow at high supersonic speeds. This makes the functioning of the actuators and the control surfaces easier. This paper gives more emphasis on the performance study of supersonic cruise missile
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