The designer of supersonic missiles needs accurate values of the aerodynamic forces and their distribution over the entire surface of the missile. Bodies with flat bases or blunt tails have a base drag which can be quite considerable at high speeds, thus playing an important part in the energy balance. Present knowledge of base pressures, particularly at high Mach numbers, is scanty. This report deals with this problem. The available data are discussed, the main test methods are subjected to critical study, and suggestions are made for further wind-tunnel measurements.
The Pressure at the Base of Bodies at Supersonic Speeds
1948
42 pages
Report
No indication
English
Aerodynamics , Missile Technology , Spheres , Base pressure , Supersonic flow , Wind tunnel models , Free flight models , Aerodynamic configurations , Lift , Drag , X rays , Schlieren photography , Reynolds number , Aerodynamic characteristics , Shock waves , Blunt bodies , Test methods , Measurement , Interferometers , Boundary layer , Skin friction