A Study on the Motion of High Speed Supercavitating Projectiles

Abstract

In the last two decades much research works have been performed in order to model the dynamics of high-speed supercavitating projectiles. In the present study, the high speed supercavitating projectiles have been investigated analytically. In this context, the equations of motion were developed for the projectile inside the supercavity. To achieve this purpose, the projectile is described by its mass, geometry and moment of inertia relative to a body-fixed coordinates system. Two experimental based models were used for simulation of supercavity dynamics and the planing force. Furthermore, a detailed parametric study was performed to investigate effect of three main parameters including the mass, cavitator diameter and length of projectile, on the flight performance of a high speed supercavitating projectile. Results obtained in this parametric study can provide some physical insights into high-speed supercavitating projectile design.

Keywords

• Supercavitation; Supercavitating projectile; Cavity dynamics; Planing force.