Influence of Reynolds number on forebody side forces for 3.5-diameter tangent-ogive bodies

Vortex asymmetries can arise on aircraft and missile forebodies at high angles of attack and have proven difficult to simulate in the wind tunnel because of a large array of parameters that can influence the test results. One of the most important of these parameters is Reynolds number. The current report compares, for tangent-ogive forebodies with fineness ratios of 3.5, flow patterns from oil-flow photographs to features in pressure distributions. The pressure data base is then used to illustrate the development of the sectional side force coefficient along both the tangent-ogive nose and an attached cylindrical afterbody for Reynolds numbers of 0.2, 0.8 and 3.8 million, based on maximum diameter, and angles of attack of 40, 50 and 60 deg. General commments concerning the effects of Reynolds number are presented, as well as an analysis of the effects of Reynolds number on the sectional side force coefficient near and at the apex of the pointed body. All data presented are for freestream Mach numbers on the order of 0.25.