Characterization of Small-Caliber Ammunition Performance Using a Virtual Wind Tunnel Approach

*A numerical approach for completely characterizing the aerodynamic and flight dynamic performance of small-caliber ammunition has been developed. The basis of the technique is two simple experiments that are performed in a virtual environment using a sophisticated computational fluid dynamics approach. The first experiment is the Magnus experiment, where a spinning projectile is held at a fixed incidence to the oncoming flow. The second experiment is the pitch-damping experiment, where the projectile is subjected to a prescribed motion that excites the angular rates associated with the pitching motion. Each experiment produces a different subset of the required aerodynamics, although both experiments can individually provide assessment of the static aerodynamic performance, such as drag and gyroscopic stability. The combined results allow a complete assessment of the aerodynamic stability and performance.

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