Dynamic Analyses of the Mortar Dragster Tab Mechanism

摘要

As a means of verifying the design and operation of the Mortar Dragster, acommercially available, three-dimensional rigid body dynamics simulation program was exercised. The Mortar Dragster is a conceptual design for a range correction device for the 81-mm mortar. The design includes a series of drag surfaces, or tabs, which are actuated at some point in the trajectory of the projectile. The actuation places the entire series of drag surfaces into the airstream, thus slowing the projectile. Of specific interest are the collision forces and resulting tab hinge loads imparted by the opening tabs impacting the adjacent connected body because of integral torsion springs and air drag-induced torque loads. Collision forces predicted by the simulation program were of the same order of magnitude as hand calculations. The results of this investigation provided confidence in the final design of the tab mechanism before its flight testing and also provided further verification of the simulation program's performance.