Development and flight test of a flueric roll control system.

Abstract

A flueric { missile control system was designed, fabricated, and flight-tested in September 1964 to determine the feasibility of this type of control system for future Army missiles. Transfer functions and describing functions were derived or estimated for the various flueric control components, and an analog computer simulation was performed to obtain design information. A combination of proportional, bistable, and supersonic fluid amplifiers was used with a vortex rate sensor and several restrictors and capacitors to form a roll control system (RCS) on a modified LITTLE JOHN rocket. Stored cold gas was used as the power source, and supersonic jet reaction valves (located 88 in. from the nose of the 163 in.-long missile) were used as control moment producers. The stabilization fins at the aft end of the missile were purposely canted to provide a disturbance torque throughout the flight. The RCS saturated 0.6 sec after ignition, but roll rate was suppressed as long as the fluid lasted, so that the RCS, although inadequate for this vehicle, did function properly. To the authors' knowledge, this was the first successful use of a flueric control system in a missile flight.