EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH ON AEROELASTICITY OF A LARGE LENGTH TO DIAMETER RATIO PROJECTILE

In order to investigate the aeroelastic influences on the aerodynamic performance and flight stability of a large length to diameter ratio projectile, free-flight experiments on both the flexible and rigid projectile model are performed in our ballistic range. Many groups of shadowgraphs for these two kinds of projectiles during flight tests were taken and one of those typical results is shown. The projectile flight velocity, angle of attack and precession are obtained after the data procession. Moreover, the aerodynamic force and moment coefficients of two kinds of projectiles are presented, their aerodynamic performances and flight stability are compared and analyzed. Our results show that the flexible projectile has larger drag coefficient than the rigid. After the deformation, its lift to drag ratio decreases and its rotation moment increases obviously. The elastic deformation of the flexible projectile has remarkable influence on its flight stability which can induce the flight instability.