A computational analysis on the aerodynamic characteristics of slotted tangent ogive nose cones with forebodies at low subsonic velocity

The nose cones of aerospace vehicles act as the point of first contact with the on-coming flow of air. Consequently, evaluating and enhancing their properties becomes crucial for the overall performance of the vehicle. In this paper, the aerodynamic performance of slotted tangent ogive nose cones with a cylindrical afterbody has been assessed numerically for the Mach number of 0.1. The number of slots and the slot depth has been varied in order to investigate its effects on the lift and resulting side forces. The case of two symmetric slots on the nose cone, each of 0.001 m depth exhibited an enhancement in the lift-to-drag ratio at an angle of attack of 15°. The results also demonstrated the effectiveness of slots in controlling the generation of wake vortices. The case with four slots of 0.001 m depth each, vertically restricted the leeward vortices below the tip of the cylindrical forebody.