Research Article
Determination of Aerodynamic Characteristics for a Vehicle with Wraparound Arc Fins by DATCOM and Fin Segment Approximation Method
Issue:
Volume 11, Issue 2, December 2025
Pages:
23-28
Received:
12 August 2025
Accepted:
9 September 2025
Published:
10 October 2025
DOI:
10.11648/j.ajae.20251102.11
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Abstract: In evaluating the system performance, such as vehicle stability, controllability, guidance accuracy, etc., the analysis of aerodynamic characteristics of the vehicle is a priority. In vehicle preliminary design it is necessary to quickly and economically estimate the aerodynamic characteristics of a wide variety of configuration designs. Since the aerodynamic performance are so dependent upon the subsystems utilized, such as payload size, propulsion system selection and launch mechanism, the designer must be capable of predicting a wide variety of configurations accurately. The fundamental purpose of DATCOM is to provide an aerodynamic design tool which has the predictive accuracy suitable for preliminary design, and the capability for the user to easily substitute methods to fit specific applications. However, DATCOM tool has not yet been able to interpret WAF (wraparound arc fin). In this paper, a methodology for determining aerodynamic characteristics of a vehicle with a WAF is presented based on the DATCOM method and the segment approximation of the WAF. First, based on the DATCOM analysis capability of the fin, a mathematical method was developed to approximate the WAF by a combination of finite numbers of plane segmented fins. Next, the validity of the proposed method is verified by comparison and analysis with wind tunnel test data. The proposed method can be effectively used for the preliminary design phase of the vehicle.
Abstract: In evaluating the system performance, such as vehicle stability, controllability, guidance accuracy, etc., the analysis of aerodynamic characteristics of the vehicle is a priority. In vehicle preliminary design it is necessary to quickly and economically estimate the aerodynamic characteristics of a wide variety of configuration designs. Since the ...
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,
Ri Jin Su
