Computational modeling of multibody aerodynamic interference

Abstract

The research effort has focused on the development and application of a versatile overset grid numerical technique to solve multibody aerodynamic problems. The developed numerical capability has been used successfully to determine the aerodynamics and provide critical information on the design and development of two multibody systems: sabot discard from the kinetic-energy (KE) projectile and brilliant anti-armor (BAT) submunition dispersal from the Army Tactical Missile System (TACMS). The complexity and uniqueness of these types of multibody problems result from the aerodynamic interference of the individual components, which include three-dimensional (3-D) shock–shock interactions, shock–boundary layer interactions, and highly viscous-dominated separated-flow regions. The overset grid technique, which is ideally suited to this problem, is used to determine the 3-D interacting flow field of the multibody system and the associated aerodynamic forces and moments at different positions and orientations without the need for costly regridding. The complex physics and fluid dynamics structure of the 3-D aerodynamic interference for these multibody problems has been uniquely identified.