RE-ENTRY OF ROTATING MISSILES
Abstract
Re-entry of a rotating symmetrical missile, which is assumed to move along a straight path, is examined. The equations of rotational motion are reduced to one second order differential equation for the angle-of-attack, the other angles being then obtainable as quadratures. This form of the equations of motion is suitable for numerical integration, as all of the exact constants of motion have already been integrated out. Small angle oscillations are considered, and it is shown that previous analyses of the effect of rotation on oscillation are in error, due to an improper procedure for obtaining the small- angle equations. It is pointed out that the precession rate of the oscillational motion is likely to depend as much on non-linearities in the aerodynamic restoring torque as on the rotational velocities. For a rotating missile with large initial angle-of-attack, the adiabatic invariant is used to calculate the amplitude of oscillation at the lower altitudes.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Dec 01, 1960
- Accession Number
- AD0263860
Entities
People
- Conrad L. Longmire