CFD Analysis to Investigate the Drag Resulted by a Drag Ring Located at Different Locations of Nose Cone

The range of an unguided ballistic rocket is determined by its launch elevation angle, with each specific angle corresponding to a particular range. However, sometimes, it is necessary to deliver a payload to a shorter range while maintaining the same launch elevation angle. One approach to achieving the shorter range is increasing aerodynamic drag to the rocket, which can be conducted by using a drag ring. A Drag ring is a ring-shaped component positioned at a certain distance from the nose tip of the nose cone. In this research, CFD analysis has been carried out to investigate the drag produced by a drag ring placed at various distances from the nose tip, i.e. 20 mm, 40 mm, 60 mm, 80 mm, 100 mm and 120 mm. The results have showed that the drag ring’s distance from the nose tip affects the total drag, with the drag ring located at 120 mm from the nose tip generating the highest drag. On the other hand, at 80 mm, it has the lowest drag.