Study of the Aerodynamic Characteristic and Flight Trajectories in a Tail Fin-stabilized Projectile with Different Shapes

Abstract

This study adopted computational fluid dynamics (CFD), low speed wind tunnel experiments and the MATLAB/Simulink control software to analyze the aerodynamic attributes of a tail fin-stabilized projectile with two different shapes (prototype and improved type) and subsequently simulate its flight trajectory with four degrees of freedom under a flight condition 0.6 Mach. Comparing the CFD calculation results with the revised experiment data using the Karman-Tsien Rule showed that the aerodynamic coefficients CD, CL, CM and CMα were similar within an angle of attack between -8°∼8°. The two types of projectile further demonstrated excellent aerodynamics within an angle of attack between -8°∼8°, maintaining stable flight. Furthermore, comparing the four-degrees-of-freedom simulation results with data from the firing table showed that the maximum height difference of trajectories at varying angles of elevation (mil) ranged under 4.68%, and the difference in the firing range distance ranged under 5.72%. Compare two types of projectiles launched at a 45° in elevation, the improved type increased 26.83% range distance than prototype. To reduce the costs of field testing, this study establishes a method to design aerodynamic systems, analyze and compare flow fields, and simulate flight trajectories.