A COMPREHENSIVE AUTOMATED AERODYNAMIC DATA REDUCTION SYSTEM FOR AEROBALLISTIC RANGES

AEROBALLISTIC RANGES PROVIDE INVALUABLE DATA FOR DESIGNING AIR DELIVERABLE MUNITIONS AND ARMAMENT. PRESENT METHODS FOR OBTAINING AERODYNAMIC COEFFICIENTS FOR THESE MUNITIONS ARE CUMBERSOME AND TIME CONSUMING. DATA REDUCTION INVOLVES A LONG SEQUENCE OF INDIVIDUAL STEPS WHICH CAN TAKE FROM SEVERAL DAYS TO WEEKS. BECAUSE OF THE SLOW TURN AROUND TIME, ERRORS ARE NOT CORRECTED DURING THE TEST. THE INEXPERIENCE AND RAPID TURNOVER OF PERSONNEL ALSO CONTRIBUTE TO LOWER DATA QUALITY. THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS PROPOSAL IS THE DEVELOPMENT OF A COMPREHENSIVE AUTOMATED DATA REDUCTION SYSTEM. WITH THIS SYSTEM AEROBALLISTIC RANGES WILL FUNCTION MORE LIKE WIND TUNNELS, THAT IS, PRELIMINARY DATA ANALYSIS WILL BE COMPLETED WITHIN A DAY THUS ALLOWING TIMELY CORRECTIONS TO SCHEDULING, TEST PARAMETERS, AND SYSTEM CALIBRATION. AN EXECUTIVE SYSTEM WILL CONTROL THE ENTIRE DATA REDUCTION PROCESS. INDIVIDUAL ELEMENTS WILL BE WRITTEN INTO MODULES THAT CAN BE REPLACED OR UPDATED AS TECHNOLOGY IMPROVES; THEY CAN ALSO BE EXERCISED INDEPENDENTLY FOR ANALYSIS PROCEDURES. THE SYSTEM WILL BE USER FRIENDLY WITH GRAPHICALLY ORIENTED INPUT AND OUTPUT. THESE CHANGES TO AEROBALLISTIC RANGE OPERATIONS WILL IMPROVE OVERALL DATA QUALITY. IN PHASE I, THE SKELETON OF THE EXECUTIVE SYSTEM AND RUDIMENTARY MODULES WILL BE DEVELOPED, AND THE SYSTEM WILL BE PROVED FOR SIMPLE CASES.