Fluid-structure Interaction Study on Drag Characteristics of Flexible Ribbon

Abstract

The flexible ribbon can be used as a projectile stabilizing device to provide a stable moment for the projectile, and the research on its drag characteristics is of great significance. This paper uses the arbitrary Lagrange-Euler (ALE) method to simulate the fluid-structure interaction process of the ribbon swinging in the airflow. The numerical method is validated by comparing it with wind tunnel experimental results from previous literature. This study utilized numerical simulation to investigate the impact of inflow velocity, ribbon material properties, and ribbon shape on drag characteristics. The research concluded that for a single ribbon, the drag value increases as the incoming flow velocity, ribbon material density, elastic modulus, and length-width ratio increase. In addition, the drag value of the annular ribbon is greater than that of the double ribbon. The drag values of the double ribbon and the annular ribbon are averaged to one side, the unilateral drag of the annular ribbon is greater than that of the single ribbon, and the unilateral drag of the double ribbon is smaller than that of the single ribbon. The conclusions can provide a reference for studying flexible ribbon stabilized projectiles.