This report describes a simple decelerator which drives a submunition in a lunar motion while it descends vertically over a battlefield, scanning for armored targets. The decelerator consists of a single flexible fin with a weighted tip. The idea of using a flexible fin with a tip weight to generate a lunar scan motion was derived from the flight of maple seeds or samaras. Aerodynamic testing consisted of flying various configurations of the submunition in a vertical wind tunnel during which a nondimensional spin to velocity ratio of 0.110 and a drag coefficient of 3.21 (based on the submunition's diameter) were obtained. A simulation of the observed lunar motion of an axisymmetric model using a rolling body frame, six degree of freedom (6-DOF) computer program, and estimates of the aerodynamic coefficients that could not be measured are presented. Keywords: Samara; Flexible fin; Autogyro; Decelerator; and Maple seed.


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    Title :

    Samara-Type Decelerator


    Contributors:
    W. Koenig (author) / R. Kline (author)

    Publication date :

    1986


    Size :

    33 pages


    Type of media :

    Report


    Type of material :

    No indication


    Language :

    English




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