Reduction of the side force on pointed forebodies through add-on tipdevices

Abstract

Subsonic, incompressible aerodynamics of a conical pointed forebody with a cylindrical base is studied at a subcritical Reynolds number of around 105. The main objective is to assess effectiveness of delta strakes, porous tips, nose-boom tips, and their combinations in alleviating the undesirable side force. Results suggest that, among the tip devices tested, a delta strake with an aspect ratio of 2 can reduce the side force by around 96% in the angle of attack a. range of ± 50 deg and at zero roll . Even with a = + 50 deg and ranging over 0-360 deg, the minimum reduction was observed to be 51%.