A wind tunnel test program was conducted to investigate various techniques for reducing grid fin drag levels. Six different grid fin configurations were tested to determine the effects of outer frame crosssection shape and web thickness. The fins were mounted on four individual fin balances near the aft end of a body-ofrevolution. Test parameters included: angle of attack (-8 to 20 degrees), fin deflection (0, 10 and 20 degrees), and Mach number (0.5 to 2.5). Test results obtained indicate that frame cross-section shape and web thickness have a significant effect on grid fin drag characteristics at all Mach numbers tested. The effects of these design parameters on grid fin normal force and hinge moment characteristics are shown to be small. From the results presented in this paper, the observation is made that grid fin drag levels can be tailored considerably with a minimal impact on other grid fin aerodynamic properties.
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Miller et al. (1994) studied this question.