Strakes effects on asymmetric flow over a blunt-nosed slender body at a high angle of attack

In general speaking, the missiles execute flight at high angles of attack in order to enhance their maneuverability. However, the inevitable side-force, which is caused by the asymmetric flow over these kinds of traditional slender body configurations with blunt nose at a high attack angle, induces the yawing or rolling deviation and the missiles will lose their predicted trajectory consequently. This study examines and diminishes the side-force induced by the inevitable asymmetric flow around this traditional slender body configuration with blunt nose at a high angle of attack (AoA = 50 deg). On one hand, the flow over a fixed blunt-nosed slender body model with strakes mounted at an axial position of x/D = 1.6-2.7 is investigated experimentally at α = 50 deg (D is the diameter of the model). On the other hand, the wingspan of the strakes is varied to investigate its effect on the leeward flow over the model. The Reynolds number is set at ReD = 1.54 × 105 based on D and incoming upstream velocity. The results verify that the formation of asymmetric vortices is hindered by the existence of strakes, and the strake-induced vortices develop symmetrically and contribute to the reduction in side-force of the model. In addition, the increase in strake wingspan reduces asymmetric characteristics of the vortex around the model and causes a significant decrease in side-force in each section measured. The strake with the 0.1D wingspan can reduce the sectional side-force to 25% of that in the condition without strakes.