An Extrapolation-to-Flight Methodology for Wind Tunnel Measurements Applied to the Prora-USV FTB1 Vehicle
- Paper number
IAC-06-D2.3.09
- Author
Dr. Pietro Roncioni, CIRA Italian Aerospace Research Centre, Italy
- Coauthor
Dr. Giuseppe Carmine Rufolo, CIRA Italian Aerospace Research Centre, Italy
- Coauthor
Mr. Raffaele Votta, CIRA Italian Aerospace Research Centre, Italy
- Coauthor
Dr. Marco Marini, CIRA Italian Aerospace Research Centre, Italy
- Year
2006
- Abstract
In this paper a methodology for the extrapolation to flight of wind-tunnel aerodynamic coefficients related to a winged-body RLV configuration is shown. In particular, such a procedure has been applied to the build-up of the aerodynamic database of the USV FTB1 vehicle (Unmanned Space Vehicle Flying Test Bed 1), the first space experimental vehicle funded by the Italian National Aerospace Research Program (PRORA). The Unmanned Space Vehicle FTB1 is a multi-mission and re-usable vehicle under development at CIRA with the aim at experimenting the transonic and supersonic flight of a re-entry vehicle. Within this framework, experimental data have been collected in different wind-tunnel (CIRA-PT1, DNW-TWG) test campaigns, over a 1:30 scaled model of the vehicle. Since wind-tunnel tests are not able to reproduce the whole set of parameters characterizing the flight conditions (e.g. different Reynolds number, different configuration due to the model support system) it has been necessary to integrate the experimental information with other sources of data. The present methodology is mainly based on viscous CFD computations, carried out by means of the CIRA code ZEN, a RANS multiblock finite volume solver. The k-ε Myong-Kasagi turbulence modeling has been used for the present simulations. The CFD simulations allow the adding of the base drag (not accounted for in WT measurements) and the Reynolds number effect on the global and lumped aerodynamic coefficients. Aim of this work is to derive from CFD results, performed at three different Reynolds number, suitable scaling laws for the extrapolation to flight of the experimental measurements. The dependence on the vehicle configuration and the proprietary character of these scaling laws makes very difficult to find it in the technical literature. The aerospace industries are of course reluctant to disclose this kind of information, particularly before the flight. In addition to the extrapolation-to-flight laws a comparison of numerical, experimental and the extrapolated-to-flight values obtained from the aerodynamic prediction model (APM) will be performed, and described in detail within the full paper.
- Abstract document
- Manuscript document
IAC-06-D2.3.09.pdf (🔒 authorized access only).
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