Separation Schemes and Dynamic Analyses on Parallel Stage Separation of Launch Vehicles

For launch vehicles with multiple stages, the stage separation is critical, which directly determines the success of the launch mission. In this article, a launch vehicle with a parallel second stage is taken as the research subject. A basic separation scheme including separation force and separation direction is proposed. Then, separation dynamic analyses are performed through ADAMS. The trajectory and attitude during the separation have been obtained. On the one hand, the aerodynamic forces help to increase distance between stages. On the other hand, aerodynamic moments acting on the second stage cause high pitch velocity. Separation procedure can be divided into three different time duration including interference duration, escaping from interference duration and free stream duration. The research conducted in this paper will provide guidance for the design of separation systems of the launch vehicle.