Subsonic Flow CFD Investigation of Canard-Controlled Missile with Planar and Grid Fins

Abstract

Viscous computational fluid dynamic simulations were used to predict the aerodynamic coefficients and flowfield around a generic canard-controlled missile configuration in subsonic flow. Computations were performed at Mach 0.6, six angles of attack between 0 and 10 deg, with 10-deg canard deflection, and with planar and grid tail fins for a total of 12 cases. The computed results were validated by comparison of the computed aerodynamic coefficients with those obtained from wind tunnel measurements. Flow visualizations from the simulations performed in this study help in the understanding of the flow physics and can lead to improved canard and tail fin designs for missiles and rockets. NOMENCLATURE