REGRADED UNCLASSIFIED BY OlOil

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0 F'rrCE OF SCIENTIF JC Q.ESEAQCH tfv DEVELOPMENT

NAT 1ONAL DEFENSE: RESEARCH COMMITTEE
OJVI.SION 5J X- ~ECTION Ci>.l

TEST3 Of fOUR MODELS

Of THE
5"JSR. ROTATING ROCKET

liBRARY COP OF THE

HYi RODYNAMICS LABORATORY
CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
PASADENA 4. CALIFORNiA

LIBRl\RY COPY
PLEASE RE..fURN

THE HIGH ~PEED \.lATER. TUNNEL

CALJFOJ2.NJA JN0TlTUTE OF TECHNOLO<:;Y.
PA,SADENA. CALI POR,NJA

Sf,CTION Ns»6.l- srZo?-22.39

LA50R.ATOR..Y N~ N0-33

copy NS! e-r

 OFF ICE OF SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
NATIONAL DEFENSE RESEARCH COMMITTEE
D IVISION 6- SECTION 6. 1

TESTS OF FOUR MODELS

OF THE

5" SSR ROTATING ROCKET

ROBERT T. KNAPP

OFFIC IAL INVESTIGATOR

THE HIGH SPEED WATER TUNNEL

AT THE
CALIFORN I A INST I TUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
HYDRODYNAM ICS LABORATORY
PASADENA , CALIFORNIA

Section No 6 . i - sr207 - 2239 Report Prepared by

Harold ·L. Doolittle
•Laboratory No ND- 33 Hydraulic Engineer

July 24 i945

This docu~ent contains inforaation affecting

the national defense of the United States within
the aeaning or the Espionage Act, 00 U S C , 31
and 32, as aaended The transaission or the
revelation of its contents in any aanner to an
llitl I 8214 I I At

FIG. 1- ROCKET MODEL NO . 32

FIG . 2- ROCKET MODEL NO. 20

II IF I I Lit I I A&
 TESTS OF FOUR MODELS
OF THE
5" SSR ROTATING ROCKET

GENERAL
This report covers tests made on a 2- inch diameter model of
the 5 " spin- stabilized rocket The tests were conducted at the
Hydrodynamics 'Laboratory of the California ' Institute of Technology ,
and were authorized by a letter of January 3i _ i944 from Dr E . H
Colpitts Ch,ief of Section 6 1 National. Defense Research Com-
mit tee

The purpose of the tests was to determine the performance of

the rocket with various nose shapes and variations in body di-
mensions Four different models were tested J the same afterbody
being used in all cases

The attached appendix gives definitions of the terms used in

this report , as well as other pertinent data

This report deals only with the static stability of the pro-
jectile without rotation Since it is not possible to operate
the water tunnel at velocities equivalent to'supersonic velocities
in air , the data herein are applicable to the projectile in the
first ' stages of flight only

DESCRIPTION
Figures i and 2 are photographs of Models Nos Y1 and 20
Figure 3 gives outline drawings of the projectile showing the
four models that were invest i gated The lengths of the four
models are practically the same (approximately 29 to 3i inches) ,
the nominal diameter being 5 i nches All models are fitted with
the same afterbody The following approximate data pertain to the
four mode~s of this rocket

Model No Maximum Weight Weight in Velocity

Diameter I Loaded Flight

20 5 in 49 7 lbs 39 6 lbs i500 ft/sec

.3-2 5 5i 4 4:f. 3 i500
25 5 49 9 44 3 800
21 5 48 3 42 7 800
 ONP 18214 I I At
-2-

317 .. - -

10 1•

1------ 0) "
,.,

MODEL 2~

MODEL 21

F I G. 3- OUTLINE DRAWINGS OF PROJECTILE SHOWING THE FOU R MODELS

PERFORMANCE CHARACTERISTICS
Th e force coefficient curves for the four models are shown in
Figure 4. As can be seen, there is not a great difference in per-
formance ofthe various models. Model No. 20 has the highest drag,
and Mode l No. 32 the lowest destabilizing moment.

'It is also noticeable that all models have very small de -

stabilizing moments for angles of yaw less than i degree. This
is a phenomenon often noticed with bullet-shaped projectiles; in
fact , with some projectiles there is a slight stabilizing moment
at very small yaw angles •

•60141 I 8 Ellif I :\Ia

 • ClJNF I6214 I I At
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i---21
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0 2 4 6 8 10
YAW ANGLE, DEGREES

F!G. 4- MOMENT, CROSS FORCE, AND DRAG COEFFICIENTS

OF THE FOUR MODELS

IOIIF I I ~tH It 'd

<:it:F PEtiT
I I .. 24
-4-

PROTO ~
I .., R FOR PRC
"""
TOTYPE
~"_/ I"'
R FOR
1:>0< 11'01'
~

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05 l
I
I
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..! MOOIL 32
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Ql
hl0'8 9 10. 1.5 2 3 4 ~ 6 7 8 9 10' l.5 2
REYNOLDS HUMBER. R

F IG. 5- DRAG VS. RE YNOLDS NUMBER

MODELS NO. 20 AND NO. 32

DRAG VS . REYNOLDS NUMBER

Runs wer e mad e on Models No . 20 and No. 32 t o determine the
variation in drag with Reyn o lds numb er. The results of these
t ests are sh own in Figure s . Fo r the higher Reyn o lds numbers it
is seen that the drag of Model No. 32 is about 7% higher than that
of Model No. 20. In order to find the drag for the pr o totype. the
model drag vs. Reynolds number curve can be extrapolatec to proto-
type speed. As the water tunnel tests are significant only for
equivalent s p eeds corresponding t o subsonic speeds of the proto-
type in air. the dra g c oefficient for a prototype velocity of
8
800ft/sec is i3.5 x i0 • and as seen in Figures . the drag coef-
ficient at this value of R is 0 . 2i for Model No. 20. and 0.23 for
Model No . 32.

FLOW LINE DRAWINGS

Figures 6 and 7 are flow line drawings of Models No. 2i and
No . 25 . respectively. These were made by close observation of the
flow lines about the model in the Polarized •Light Flume. There is
little disturbance about the streamlined nose. but. as is always
the case with bullet-shaped projectiles. there is considerable
disturbance in the wake of the square-ended u fterbody .

•
IWH ' ?E'ITI'lo
 GQ"F II !liT I ttl
-5-

- --- - -

YAW = 0°

FIG. 6- FLOW LINE DRAWING FOR MODEL NO. 21

4 - - · ·-
-- =====::::
YAW = 0°

FIG. 7- FLOW LINE DRAWING OF MODEL NO. 25

aiKl\tiF ' RF MT 1 e&

 .I liP I D!Ufl At

APPEN DIX

DEFINITIONS

YAW ANGLE, 1/J

The angle J in a horizontal plane, which the axis of the pro-

jectile makes with the direction of motion Locking down on the
projectileJ yaw angles in a clockwise direction are positive (+)
and in a counterclockwise direction . negative (-)

PITCH ANGLE, a

The angle J in a vertical plane J which the axis of the pro-

jectile makes with the direction of motion . Pitch angles are
positive (+) when the nose is up and negative ('-) when the nose
is down

LIFT, L •
The forceJ in pounds ; exerted on the projectile normal to
the direction of motion and in a vertical plane . The lift is
positive (+) when acting upward and negative ('-) when acting
downward .

CROSS FORCE, C

"The force J in pounds J exerted on the projectile normal to the

direction of motion and in a horizontal plane 'The croas force is
positive when acting in the same direction as the displacement of
the projectile nose for a positive yaw angle . i e J to an observer
fa c 1ng in the direction of travel " a positive cross force acts to
the right
•
DRAG 1 D

The force " in pounds J exerted on the projectile parallel with

the d 1rection of motion The drag is positive when acting in a
direction opposite to the d1rection of motion

MOMENT. M
..
The torque J in foot pounds J tending to rotate the projectile
about a tr a n s v e rse nx1s Ya~i n g mo merit s te n d 1ng to rotat e th e
pr o jectile in a clockwi se dir e ction (when looking down on the pro-
jectile) are positive ( +) J and those tending to cause counter-
clockwise rotation are negative (-) Pitching moments tending to
rotate the projectile in a clockwise direction (when looking at
the projectile from the port side) are positive ('+)J and those
tending to cause counterclockwise rotation ·are negative (-) .

UIIFIDEPITI ' I
 • It liP I 8 EIIT I A!'
-b-

In accordance with this sign convention a moment has a de-

stabiliz .ing effect when it has th.e same sign as the yaw angle or
pitch angle, and a s~abilizing effect when the moment and yaw or
pitch angle have opposite signs

NORMAL COMPONENT, N

The sum of the components of the drag and cross force (or
lift) acting normal to the axis of the projectile . The value of
the normal component . is given by the following :

N = D sin ~ + C cos ~ (i)

or

N P sin a + •L cos a (~. a)

in which

N Normal component in lbs

• D Drag in lbs

c Cr oss force in lbs

•L •Li ft force in lbs

~ Yaw angle in degrees

a = Pitch angle in degrees

CENTER OF PRESSURE, CP

The point in the axis of the projectile at which th~ resul-

tant of all forces acting on the projectile is applied .
•
CENTER - OF - PRESSURE ECCENTRIC ITY, e

The distance between the center of pressure (CP) and the

center of gravity (CG) expressed as a decimal fraction of the
length (1) of the projectile . The center- of - pressure eccentricity
is derived as follows :

!. Meg
e 1 N ( 2)

in whicl\

e Center- of - pressure eccentLicity

1 •Length of projectile in feet

leg Distance from nose of projectile to CG in feet

1 cp Distance from nose of projectile t o CP in feet

• COWS I ?Dill ' k

 - O.llf 162141 , .
-c -

COEFFIC I ENTS

The force and moment coefficients used are derived as follows .

D
Drag coefficient CD = v2 ( 3)
p AD
2

Cross force coefficient ,

c ( 4)
cc v2
p AD
2

('
IL
•Lift coefficient qL ( 5)
v2
p AD
2

M
Moment coeff1cient eM - ( 6)

p v2 ADl
2

in which

D Measured drag force in lbs

c Measured cross force in lbs

•L Measured lift force in lbs

p Density of the fluid in slugs/cu ft = w/g

w Specifiq weight of the flu1d in lbs/cu ft

2
g = ~cceleration of grav i ty in ft/sec

AD= Area in sq ft at the maximum cross section of the pro .

jectile taken normal to the geometric axis of the pro-
jectile

V Mean relative ve l ocity between the water and the pro -

jectile in ft/sec

M Moment _, in foot - pounds measured about any particular

point on the geometric axis of the projectile

1 Overall length of the projectile in feet

COMF I DElli I'A L

elllPIOEilTIAL
-d-

RUDDER EFFECT

The total . increase or decrease in moment coefficient , at a

give n yew or pitch angle , resulting from a given rudder setting
This increase or decrease in moment coefficieiLt is measured from
the moment coefficient curve for neutral rudder setting .

REYNOLDS NUMBER

I n comparing hydraulic systems involving only friction and

inertia forces, a factor called Reyn~lds number is of great
utility. This is defined as follows :
lV
R = v (7)

in which

R ·Reynolds number

1 Overall length of projectile, feet

v Velocity of projectile, feet per sec

v Kinematic v.iscos·i.ty of the fluid , sq ft per sec 1-J./p

p Mass den~ity of the fluid in slugs per cu ft

1J. = Absolute viscosity in pound- seconds per sq ft

Two g9ometrical~y similar systems are also dynamically simi-

lar when they have the snme·value or Reynolds number . For the
same fluid in both cases , a model with small linear dimensions
must be used with correspondingly large velocities . It is also
possible to compare two cases with widely differing fluids pro-
vided 1 and V are properly chosen to give the same value of R .

CAVITATION PARAMETER

In the analysis of cavitation p~enomena the cavitation

parameter has been found very useful This is defined as follows

l=lL - .PB
K = ( 8)

in which

K = Cavitation parameter

p,L= Absolute pressure in the undisturbed liquid , lbs/sq ft

pB= Vapor pressure corresponding to the water temperature J

lbs/sq ft

V Velocity of the projectile , ft/sec

 ~:r.t.A.l.
-e-

p mass density of the fluid in slugs per cu ft w/g

w weight of the fluid in lbs per cu ft

g = acceleration of gravity

Note that any homogeneous set of units can be used in the compu-
tation of this parameter ThusJ ·it is often convenient to express
this parameter in terms of the head, i e J
1\L hB
K = (9)

where

~L= Submergence plus the barometric head J ft of water

h
B
= Pressure in the bubble ft of water

. It will be seen that the numerator of both expresaions is simply

the net pressure acting to collapse the cavity or bu~ble The
denomi nator ·is the velocity pressure Since the ' entire variation
in pressure around the moving body is a result of the velocity , it
may be considered that the veloc1ty head is a measure of the pres-
sure ·available to open up a cavitation void From this point of
view J the cavitation parameter is simply the ratio of the pressur e
availcble to collapse the bubble to the pressure available to open
it If 'the K for incipient cavitation is considered, it can be
interpreted to mean the maximum reduction in pressure on the sur -
face of the body measured in terms of the velocity head ThusJ
if a body starts to cavitate at the cavitation parameter of one.
it means that the lowest pressure at any point on the body is one
velocity head below that of the undisturbed fluid

The shape and size of the cavitation bubbles for G specific

projectile are funct1ons of the cavitation parameter If PB is
taken to represent the gas pressure within the bubble instead of
the vapor pressure of the water , as in normal investigationsJ the
value of K obtained by the above formula will be applicable to an
air bubble In other words the behavior of the bubble will be
the same whether the bubble is due to cavitation the injection of
exhaust gas or the entrainment of air at the time of launching .

The cavitation parameter for incipient cavitation has the

symbol KI

The following chart gives values of the cavitation parameter

as a function of velocity and submergence in sea water

GENERAL DISCUSSION OF STAT'C STABILITY

·Water tunnel tests are made under steady flow conditions

coHsequently the result-s only indicate the tendency of the steady
state hydrodynamic couples and forces tc cause the projectile to
return to or move away from its equilibrium position afte1· a
OOIFIDEIEIIJit
-f-

disturbance Dynamic couples and forces including either positive

or negative damping are not obtained If the nydrodynamic moments
are restoring the projectile, then 1t is said to be statically
stable, if nonrestoring, statically unstable In the discussion
of static stabiltty the actual motion follo~ring a perturbation is
not considered at all In fact, the projectile may oscillate con-
tinuously about an equilibrium position without remaining in it
In this case it would be statically stable, but would have zero
damping and hence, be dynamically unstable With negative damping
a projectile would oscillate with continually increasing amplitude
following an initial perturbation even though it were statically
stable Equilibrium IS obtained If the sum of the hydrodyna.mic,
buoyant, and propulsive moments equal zero In general, pro~ul­
sive thrusts act through the center of gravity of the projectile
so only the first two Items are important

If a projectile is rotating from its equilibrium position so

as to Increase Its yaw angle positively the moment coefficient
must increase negatively (accordlng to the sign convent1on odo r -
ted) in order that it be statically stable Therefore, for ~ro­
jectiles without controls or With fixed con t rol surfaces, a nega-
t~ve slope of the curve of moment coefficient vs yaw gives static
stability and a positive slope gives instability For a pro-
jectile without controls, statiC stability ts necessary for a
successful fliJht unless stability is obtained by spinning as in
the case of rifle shells For a projectile with controls, stabil-
izing moments can be obtained by adjusting the control surfaces,
and the slQpe of the moment coefficient, as obtained with fixect
rudder position, need not give static stability ~here buoyancy
either acts at the center of gravity or can be neglected, equil-
ibrium is obtained when the hydrodyna~ic moment coefficient equals
zero For symmetrical pro5ectiles this occurs at zero yaw ang l e,
i e , when the projectile axis is parallel to the tr ~ jectory For
nonsymmetrical projectiles, such as a torpedo wr<e'n the rudders are
not neutral, the moment is not zero nt zero yo"'' but vaniqhEs ct
some ( Ffinite rn_.le of attacJ~ ~·here buoyancy ar.not be neglected
equilibrium is obtained when c.1· . = - C~.> uoynnc, , and the aYis of the
projectile is at so~e angle with the trajectory.

·'For symmetrical p~ojectiles t~e degree of stability)or in-

stability can be obtained from the center ~f ~ressure curves If
the center of pressure: fall!" beh1ncl tl.F center of gravity , ore-
storing moment exists giving static stability . If tbe center of
pressure falls ah~ad of :thP center of gravity, the Moment is non-
restoring, and the projectile ~>·ill be statically unstable . The
degree of stability or instability is indicated approximately by
the distance between the center of gravity and the center of
pressure In general, for nonsymmetrical projectiles, the cross
force or lift is not zero when the moment vanishes so that the
center of pressure curve is not symmetrical and the si~ple rules
JUSt stated cannot be used to deterMine'whether or not the pro-
jectile will be stable In such cases careful interprFta~ion of
the moment curves is a more satisfactory method of determining
stability relationship

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