Researchers Plan to Test a 1:13 Model of a ballistic Missile in a high...
Response:Part (a)
To determine the velocity of air in the wind tunnel, the following formula can be used:
v
2 = v
1 * √(T
2/T
1) * (P
2/P
1)
Where:
v
1 = velocity of prototype missile = 380 m/s
T
1 = temperature of air in prototype missile = 23 0 C = 296 K
P
1 = pressure of air in prototype missile = 95.0 kPa (abs)
T
2 = temperature of air in wind tunnel = -20 0 C = 253 K
P
2 = pressure of air in wind tunnel = 89 kPa (abs)
Substituting the values in the formula, we get:
v
2 = 380 * √(253/296) * (89/95) = 430.9 m/s
Therefore, the velocity of air in the wind tunnel must be 430.9 m/s.
Part (b)
To estimate the drag force on the prototype missile, the drag force on the model can be scaled up using the following formula:
F
1/A
1 = F
2/A
2Where:
F
1 = drag force on model = 400 N
A
1 = surface area of model
F
2 = drag force on prototype
A
2 = surface area of prototype
Since the prototype is 1:13 scale of the model, the surface area of the prototype will be 13 times greater than the surface area of the model. Therefore:
A
2 = 13 * A
1Substituting the values in the formula, we get:
F
2 = F
1 * (A
2/A
1) = 400 * 13 = 5200 N
Therefore, the estimated drag force on the prototype will be 5200 N. The drag force on the prototype can be significant and needs to be accounted for in the design of the missile.