Improved Semiempirical Method for Calculating Aerodynamics of Missiles with Noncircular Bodies

An improved method has been developed to compute aerodynamics of noncircular cross section shapes. The improved method is based on extending current state of the art methods for computing aerodynamics of noncircular wing- body shapes based on circular wing-body methods. Specific additions to the state of the art methods presently in use include extensions to a broader class of cross section bodies and to a higher angle of attack (AOA); extensions to allow improved accuracy at low cross flow Mach number and to allow body cross section shape to impact the critical cross flow Reynolds number; and a method to treat wing-body interference factor corrections as a function of body geometry, Mach number, and AOA. The new methods were applied to a broad class of noncircular body alone and wing body configurations for which wind tunnel data were available. In general, results for normal force, axial force and center of pressure were quite good over the Mach number and AOA range where data was available. This included Mach numbers as low as 0.3 and as high as 14 and AOAs to 60 degrees.Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Div VA is the author of 'Improved Semiempirical Method for Calculating Aerodynamics of Missiles with Noncircular Bodies', published 1997 under ISBN 9781423570950 and ISBN 1423570952.