Methods for determining the equivalent aerodynamic damping of reentry vehicle models tested in a setup with free oscillations

Abstract

Two methods are developed for determining the equivalent aerodynamic damping of reentry vehicle models. In the first method, the equivalent aerodynamic damping is determined on the basis of the experimental envelopes of the transitional process for the angle of attack changing with time; in the second method, all experimental points of the transitional process are involved. Both methods are found to produce similar results. The adequacy of the methods is verified by an example of a reentry vehicle model, which demonstrates that the predicted transitional processes for the angle of attack changing with time are in good agreement with the experimental data.