Three-Dimensional Numerical Investigation of the Asymmetric Discard Characteristics of Hypervelocity Projectile Sabot

Sabots are vital to the successful launch of hypervelocity projectiles (HVPs), supporting and protecting the projectile’s flight body within the barrel. After the projectile exits the muzzle, aerodynamic forces induce relative motion between the sabot and the flight body, termed ‘sabot discard’. During this process, there are complex aerodynamic interactions between the sabot and flight body. These interactions impact the flight body’s flight stability and accuracy. This research focuses on an HVP with a two-segment sabot at Mach 7.2, employing the unstructured overset grid method and three-degree-of-freedom model to investigate the impact of the angle of attack (AOA) on the discard. At the AOA = 0 Deg, the sabot segments’ movement is symmetric, causing fluctuations in the flight body’s drag. However, at AOAs ≠ 0 Deg, the sabot segments’ movement becomes asymmetric. The upper sabot segment accelerates while the lower one decelerates, causing significant fluctuations in drag and lift, and prolonged disturbance. As the AOA increases, both asymmetry and disturbances intensify. Notably, at the AOA = 8 Deg, the absolute value of the discard angle difference between the upper and lower sabot segments reaches 45 Deg. Considering the AOA’s impact, it is advisable to maintain the AOA for HVP sabot discard in the range of [−2, 2] Deg.