Variable-Diameter Conical Nose for Adaptive Drag and Cavity Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing conical noses for bodies traveling from air into water have fixed geometries, which are inadequate for varying speed conditions, leading to suboptimal drag, lift, and cavity formation, as they fail to adapt to changing body speeds and require either minimal or maximal base diameters for cavity envelopment, resulting in inefficient energy transfer and stability.
Innovation Solution
A variable diameter cone-shaped nose with actively or passively controlled base radius, achieved through a design featuring overlapping portions that can be moved relative to each other using actuators, allowing for dynamic adjustment of the cone geometry to optimize drag, lift, and cavity-producing properties.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a larger cone base diameter is used to envelope the body at lower speeds, then cavity envelopment is maintained, but drag increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cone base diameter is made variable through overlapping portions that can be moved relative to each other, allowing the geometry to dynamically adapt to changing body speeds. At higher speeds, the smaller diameter reduces drag, while at lower speeds, the larger diameter maintains cavity envelopment.
Solution Approach 2:
The geometric parameters of the cone (base diameter and half-angle) are changed by adjusting the overlap between portions. This allows optimization of drag and lift characteristics for different operating conditions while maintaining cavity envelopment when needed.
2Object-generated harmful factors
If a smaller cone base diameter is used to minimize drag at high speeds, then drag is reduced, but cavity envelopment is compromised at lower speeds
Solution Approach 1:
The cone structure transitions from a static geometry to a dynamic one where the base diameter can be adjusted. The overlapping portions allow the diameter to be reduced at high speeds for minimal drag and increased at lower speeds to maintain cavity envelopment.
3Ease of manufacture
If the cone geometry is fixed, then manufacturing is simplified, but adaptability to varying speeds is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The cone is divided into overlapping portions that can move independently. This segmentation allows the structure to maintain relative simplicity in manufacturing each portion while gaining adaptability through their relative motion capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The fixed geometry is replaced with a dynamic configuration using overlapping portions. The actuator mechanism enables speed-adaptive geometry adjustment while maintaining structural integrity and manufacturability of individual components.
4Force
If the cone half-angle is varied to change lift coefficient, then lift control is improved, but structural complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cone half-angle is made variable through the overlapping portion mechanism. By moving one portion relative to the other, the half-angle changes, allowing dynamic control of the lift coefficient to match varying flight conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The geometric parameters (base diameter and half-angle) are coupled through the overlap mechanism. Changing the overlap simultaneously adjusts both parameters, providing coordinated control of drag and lift without requiring independent adjustment systems.
Data Source
AI summary
A variable diameter conical nose is provided. The conical nose includes a cone formed from a circular sheet of ductile material having a sector removed. The formed cone has a first overlapping portion and a second overlapping portion overlying the first overlapping portion. The first overlapping portion is fixed and the second overlapping portion is free to move. The conical nose includes an actuator capable of varying the diameter of the cone by moving the second overlapping portion relative to the first overlapping portion.