Computational Analysis of Missile Flight Through Rain

The objective of this project is to develop and validate numerical simulation capability for the ab initio prediction of raindrop impact characteristics on missile domes flying at speeds ranging from just above sonic to hypersonic (1.2 < M < 7) at altitudes ranging from about 1 to 10 km. For this purpose, we employ own- developed suite of numerical codes that are true to the physics and uniquely suited to the simulation of deformations, interfacial instabilities and related flows under the extreme levels of aerodynamic forces experienced by liquid drops in such a setting, including the actual impact on the dome. Principal technical objectives of Phase II are to extend our ARMS-SIM code from 2D to 3D, to complete the numerical scheme for cutting off waves at an appropriate moment in their development so as to allow continuing smoothly the simulation, and to couple the ARMS-SIM to the ARMS-N code so that we can couple the drop-internal with the drop-external hydrodynamics. The latter is relevant to extremely-high-We breakup events causing entrainment.