Extended panel method to study sounding rocket aerodynamics

This paper presents an efficient approach to study sounding rocket aerodynamics by extending the original version of the wing-body combination panel method. By adding some theoretical and empirical terms together with the vortex-panel modelling, the extended panel method may be used to determine all aerodynamic coefficients over a wide range of Mach numbers. The method was first applied to a simple rocket model, and the results were validated against wind tunnel experimental data and those from the CFD-based simulation method. It was found that compared to the original version, the present method shows more reliable results for rocket aerodynamics. It was then applied to study the aerodynamics of an actual sounding rocket model at various Mach numbers and analyse the unsteadiness effect. The method presented in this paper can be applied to aerodynamic studies in the preliminary design stage of sounding rockets and other types of high-speed air vehicles. © 2024 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.