The Effects of Liquid Payloads on the Trajectory of Spinning PRojectiles

Abstract

This paper outlines a relatively straight forward technique to incorporate the effect of liquid payloads on prediction of projectile trajectories. The key to this method is the addition of liquid moments imparted onto the projectile body. A first step to include the effects of liquid payloads is to model a low viscosity liquid while undergoing typical projectile coning motions. Since most projectiles carrying liquid payloads are spin stabilized with relatively high spin rates, the moment contribution of the liquid to the angular motion of the projectile can be found using linear theory. After developing an integrated dynamic model for a projectile with a liquid payload, exemplar trajectory characteristics are shown that exhibit typical dynamic behavior of a projectile with a liquid payload. Results comparing solid projectiles with a similar liquid filled projectile are also presented. A discussion of flight stability caused by a liquid payload is as presented.