Feasibility Study for Steering a Supersonic Projectile by a Plasma Actuator
Experimental and theoretical investigations on the possibilities of steering a supersonic projectile by using a plasma actuator started in 2001, but they have not been published up to now, for confidentiality reasons. The experimental study shows the possibility of activating plasma discharges at the tip of a supersonic projectile flying in conditions encountered at a low altitude. Plasma discharges were produced by the use of high-voltage generators that were able to supply electric discharges between two electrodes flush with the conical surface of the projectile nose. Visualizations show that the generation of a plasma discharge produces a perturbation between the projectile surface and the shock wave attached to the conical projectile tip. The perturbation is strong enough to distort the shock wave. A numerical simulation was performed for an ideal gas, in which the plasma discharge was modeled as a transverse hot jet. The comparison between the flow visualizations and the numerical results shows the similarity between the visualized and the computed flow structures. The results show that the asymmetry of the flowfield around the projectile produces a lateral force and a pitching moment that favorably combine to steer the projectile.