Measurements of lift, drag and pitching moment on a low speed rocket fitted with tail fins of various spans

摘要

Measurements of lift, drag and pitching moment havebeen made in the. No. lA Wind Tunnel at the College of Aeronauticsat a speed of 132 f.p.s. on a model rocket supplied by theArmament Research Establishment, Woolwich. The model wastested with three different tail spans, and with no tail.The tests made showed that the increase in staticstability was almost directly proportional to the net span ofthe tail fins. For small angles of incidence the fin effectivenesswas the same for the fins mounted vertically and horizontally,and for the fin assembly rotated through 45°. The model vasfound to be statically stable about its point of suspension forall three fin sizes, and no unsatisfactory characteristics wereObserved over the test range of incidence from -12° to +18°.The experimental results have been compared withestimates based on slender body theory.