A Proposal of New Fuselage Configurations for Realizing Reusable Launch Vehicles

Abstract

The numerical simulations and analyses based on experimental results were carried out by means of computational fluid dynamics. Before now, many experimental and numerical approaches have been conducted for the model whose cross sectional configuration of the fuselage is an isosceles right triangle. It has high lift at high angle of attacks. With these results, new configurations were created to enhance the aerodynamic characteristics and it was obtained that a lift coefficient is increased. The reasons of its increment are analyzed and they are related to the strength of separation vortex and its position. Also, drag coefficients and pitching moment coefficients are discussed in this paper. Nomenclaturelift to drag ratio L/D max = maximum lift to drag ratio C p = pressure coefficient Re = Reynolds number based on overall length of the model α = Angle of attack (Incident angle) S ref = reference area (in this paper, equal to projected area) L ref = reference length (in this paper, equal to overall length of the model) x = position on body axis in x direction (origin is model apex) M = mach number s = distance from the apex of Apollo Command Module model measured along the surface r = radius of Apollo Command Module model at maximum diameter λ = angle of arbitrary plane relative to pitch plane for Apollo Command Module