A comprehensive CFD investigation of grid fins as efficient control surface devices

Recently, grid fins have been receiving increasing attention as a practical and efficient means of controlling missile trajectory. Preliminary studies at IAR have demonstrated that modern CFD methods can be used for computing flows past complex grid fin type configurations, and that these methods can bring improved predictions over the earlier vortex lattice and/or shock expansion methods. aerodynamic coefficients of the grid fin assembly, with and without the fairing ramp, would provide a direct means of evaluating the effect of the ramp, At this stage, the investigations are based on Euler calculations. The present study focuses on a standard grid configuration mounted on a generic cylindrical MY.