Experimental and numerical investigations have been conducted regarding the wake §ow of a generic rocket model in subsonic freestream conditions. The blu¨base geometry evokes a recirculation area represented by counterrotating vortices. Experiments using Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) demonstrate that the spatial organization of this area is heavily dependent on small freestream angles (α, β < 1 • ), associated with a signi¦cant shift in the base pressure distribution. Numerical studies using Reynolds-Averaged Navier Stokes (RANS) methods with one-and twoequation turbulence models are able to predict the mean velocity ¦eld as well as tendencies regarding α and β, but lack the sensitivity of the experiments. The mean pressure level on the base is calculated within 10% of the experimental value using the two-equation turbulence model, although the pressure distributions on the base show distinct di¨erences.
NOMENCLATURE c p,baseBase pressure coef¦cient D Diameter DEHS Di-Ethyl-Hexyl-Sebacat k, TKE Turbulent kinetic energy L Model length Ma ∞