Abstract
The ground effect experienced by transonic/supersonic projectiles of diameter d flying at a distance h above a solid surface is investigated in this study by numerical simulation and wind tunnel experiments. It is verified that the presence of the ground alters the drag force and introduces a lift force and a pitching moment that do not exist when the bullet is in free flight far away from any solid surface. The results indicate that, for the given projectile, the lift force can change sign depending on the non-dimensional ground clearance h/d, but that for Mach numbers of 1.5 and higher, only a positive lift force is observed. Three different force/moment configurations for a projectile in ground effect can be distinguished: a suction force together with a pitch nose-up moment is typically seen at low ground clearances, a lift force and a pitch nose-up moment occur at intermediate values of h/d, and at large ground clearances this changes into a lift force/pitch nose-down moment combination.
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