WSEAS Transactions on Fluid Mechanics
Print ISSN: 1790-5087, E-ISSN: 2224-347X
Volume 16, 2021
Aerodynamics Analysis of Grid Fins Inner Lattice Structure in Cruise Missile
Author:
Abstract: Grid fins are normally placed at the rear end of cruise missiles, rockets and other ballistic devices to
control their trajectory especially at the final stage of flight. These fins provided fine control of the pitch, yaw
and other lateral movements, allowing for higher stability and accuracy of the cruise missiles. This project
investigates computationally the relation between grid fins inner lattice structures dimensionless parameters and
the fins aerodynamics drag coefficient. The project gathered data from 12 different fins by varying the parameters
of its internal lattice structure such as thickness, width and chord at various angles of attack (0°, 20° and 40°).
The freestream was set at a constant speed of 150 m/s that gives Reynolds number > 1.7 x 106
. The results were
experimentally compared by using a re-scaled model of a single fin in a sub-sonic wind tunnel, achieving a
difference in results of not exceeding 6%. The results obtained that as the width-chord ratio increases, the
aerodynamics drag coefficient increases for fixed thickness-width ratio. The results also demonstrated that as the
angle of attack increases, the aerodynamics drag increases. The thickness-width ratio has the larger impact on the
aerodynamics drag. The results can be used to improve the design of guided cruise missiles.
Search Articles
Pages: 92-101
DOI: 10.37394/232013.2021.16.9