Missile System Design

Performance
and
Stability and Control[1]
Contents

Contents 1

1 Introduction 1

1.1 Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

1.2 Mechanics of Manuevering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

1.2.1 Derivation for Normal Force Coefficient . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

1.3 Stability and Control in Trim Condition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

2 Stability 5

2.1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

2.2 Static Stability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

2.3 Longitudinal Stability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

2.3.1 Equilibrium Condition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

2.3.2 Stability Condition when External Force Applied . . . . . . . . . 8

2.3.3 Static Stability Margin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

2.3.4 Pitching Moment Coefficient Vs Angle of Attack . . . . . . . . . . 9

2.4 Dynamic Stability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

References 11

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Chapter 1

Introduction

Performance, and stability and control of the airframe are two important factors that
determine the ability of the missile to carry a payload and also maneuver it into a
position so as to destroy the aircraft. However this performance relates only to the
maneuvering capabilities and motion characteristics of the missile and not to the overall
effectiveness as a weapon.

1.1 Performance

The performance of missiles is governed by the Newton’s Laws of Motion. Missiles

require manuevering forces to accelerate them in the required direction. Depending on
the medium in which they travel, missiles can be classified as

(a) Aerodynamic Vehicles: When they travel through air maneuvering is possible
through the mechanisms of aerodynamic forces i.e., lift and drag acting on the
vehicle.

(b) Space Vehicles: When they travel in outer space, maneuvering is possible thrust
vectoring.

In this report, only the aerodynamic vehicles will be considered.

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1.2 Mechanics of Manuevering

Assume that the missile is traveling with a fixed forward speed. Assuming that the
target is somewhat to the left of the missile, the mechanics by which the missile changes
its flight path toward a collision course can be discussed as follows:-

Figure 1.1: Mechanics of Maneuvering

(a) When the missile flight path has to be changed, the control surfaces are deflected
by the guidance and control system based on the required trajectory. This causes
misalignment of the vehicle or some of its surface (depending upon its design)
relative to its forward motion and thus to the relative airflow.

(b) This asymmetric condition or misalignment generates forces which accelerate the
missile in the required direction.

(c) The maneuvering force of an aerodynamic vehicle is given by the equation

N = CN qS (1.1)

where CN is the missile normal force coefficient which is chiefly a function of Mach
number and of wing planform, q is the dynamic pressure due to the flight speed
and air density, kg/m2 given by 21 ρV 2 where ρ is the atmospheric air density and

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 V is the missile velocity in m/sec and S is the reference area(usually taken as the
free wing area)in m2 .

The wing is the main lifting surface and develops or contribuites to, a major part of the
maneuvering force. The maneuvering force generated by the wing is modified by the
interference between the body and the wing. If the missile flies with a body angle of
attack, in that case, the body lift also contributes directly to the maneuvering force.

The principle function of the control surface is to maintain the desired angle of attack
or in other words, keep the missile aligned with the relative airstream. Depending on
their geometric configuration, control surfaces may either contribute to the maneuvering
force or detract from it. In case of wing-controlled missiles, the primary purpose of the
deflected wing is to develop direct lift.

1.2.1 Derivation for Normal Force Coefficient

The normal force coefficient for the complete missile is given by the equation

CN = CNW + CNB + ∆CNBW + ∆CNW B + CNT0 (1.2)

where CNW is the normal-force coefficent for the wing alone CNB is the normal-force
coefficent for the body alone ∆CNBW is the change in body normal-force coefficient due
to the presence of wing ∆CNW B is the change in wing normal-force coefficient due to the
presence of body CNT0 is the normal-force coefficient of the tail in the presence of wing
and body.

1.3 Stability and Control in Trim Condition

The angle of attack, wing incidence and tail incidence are very important factors which
decide the stability and control characteristics of the missile. They cannot be arbitrarily
chosen as they must be compatible with one another stability-wise. Static stability of
a missile is defined as its inherent tendency to return to its trimmed angle of attack if
disturbed from this angle of attack by an external force. The trimmed angle of attack
is the result of complete equilibrium of all external aerodynamic forces acting upon the
missile at this particular angle of attack. Changing from one trimmed angle of attack

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to another requires a suitable control surface deflection and effectiveness. Thus in case
of a tail controlled missile, a deflection of the tail surface will change the angle of attack
and therefore the normal or maneuvering force.

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Chapter 2

Stability

2.1 Introduction

The stability of an aerodynamic missile operating in the atmosphere depends upon

its inherent static and dynamic stability characteristics. It also depends upon the nature
of the automatic control system employed.

2.2 Static Stability

Static stability of an aerodynamic vehicle is defined as its inherent tendency to align

itself with the direction of the relative airstream. There are three types of static stability.

(a) Statically Stable System: If any body is displaced from its equilibrium position
then if resulting forces or moments acting on that body tends to restore the system
to its original condition then the system is said to be Statically stable.

(b) Statically Unstable System: If resultant forces or moments are such that it trend
to cause the system to be displaced still further from its original condition, the
system is Statically unstable.

(c) Neutrally Stable System: If displacement cause no new forces or moments to be

created, so that the system has no tendency either to return to or to deviate further
from its original condition, then the condition is Neutral stable.

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 Figure 2.1: Types of Static Stability

2.3 Longitudinal Stability

Compared to the single degree of freedom possessed by the weather vane, the num-
ber of degrees of freedom increases in the missile due to its free-flight condition. This
complicates the stability of the missile. If the rolling motions of the missile are ignored,
there are four degrees of freedom namely

(a) Angular pitching about the center of gravity,

(b) Translational motion of the center of gravity in the plane of the vertical wings,

(c) Angular yawing about the center of gravity and

(d) Translational motion of the center of gravity in the plane of the horizontal wings.

In a cruciform missile, the characteristics of the horizontal and vertical planes are
usually identical due to symmetry. Thus if the motions or moments of the missile of

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the vertical plane of the winds are calculated, these calculations can be related to the
horizontal plane of the wings. This reduces the number of degrees of freedom to two
when restricted to the vertical plane only namely

(a) Angular pitching about the center of gravity,

(b) Vertical translational motion of the center of gravity in the plane of the vertical
wings,

For the case of static stability, the vertical motions of center of gravity can be dis-
carded since such motions merely tend to alter the angle of attack with respect to the
relative airstream. Thus static stability is only involved with a single degree of freedom
namely the pitching moments developed as a function of angle of attack. This is called
longitudinal stability.

The figure below shows the dimensions and angles of various axes and the forces and
moments encountered in the longitudinal stability i.e., static stability in pitching of the
missile.

Figure 2.2: Forces,Moments and Angles - Longitudinal Stability

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2.3.1 Equilibrium Condition

When the missile is designed to be statically stable, the missile remains in equilibrium
at angles of attacks other than zero by changing the tail incidence i.e., deflecting the tail
and in effect changing the trim angle of attack. In other words, the algebraic sum of the
pitching moment contributions of each component of the missile i.e., the body, wing and
tail, is intentionally set to zero so that the missile satisfies the equilibrium condition.
Thus the pitching moment characteristics for the special case of trim is given by
Xc.p. dCN Xc.p. LT ST
CMB qSc + CNW B qSc + iW qSc − CNT0 qSc = 0
c dα W c c S
Dividing by qSc gives
Xc.p. dCN Xc.p. LT ST
CMB + CNW B + iW − CNT0 = 0 (2.1)
c dα W c c S
Thus every time the missile angle of attack changes, the tail incidence required to make
the net moment zero is calculated and applied as the required deflection.

2.3.2 Stability Condition when External Force Applied

Consider that the missile is made to pitch up due to an external force rather than the
tail deflection, initially. When the missile is pitched at an angle of attack (α) relative to
the airstream it develops a pitching moment (M ) which determines the static stability.
In this case, the pitching moment will be the algebraic sum of the individual pitching
moment contributions of each component of the missile i.e., body, wing and tail. In
other words, the eqn.2.1 is modified by repacing the zero on the right hand side with
the pitching moment coefficient (CM ) and rewritten as

Xc.p. dCN Xc.p. LT ST

CM = CMB + CN W B + iW − CNT0 (2.2)
c dα W c c S
One way of identifying whether the missile is statically stable or not is as follows: When
the angle of attack α is positive, if CM is positive, then the pitching moment can be seen
to be in a direction that increases the angle of attack further rather than reduce it thus
making the missile statically unstable.

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2.3.3 Static Stability Margin
Xc.p.
The term c
which is the distance of the center of pressure in terms of the number
of wing chords (c is the wing chord) is a measure of static stability. If the location of
center of pressure at the neutral position is denoted by (Xc.p. )N , then the static stability
margin of the missile may be written as
dCM Xc.p. − (Xc.p. )N
= (2.3)
dCNW B c
or
dCM −x
= (2.4)
dCNW B c
where x is the distance of center of gravity forward of the neutral point. Thus if the
center of gravity is aft of the neutral, then x is negative and the eqn.2.4 gives a positive
value thus indicating static instability.

2.3.4 Pitching Moment Coefficient Vs Angle of Attack

Figure 2.3: Longitudinal Static Stability

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2.4 Dynamic Stability

Dynamic stability of an aerodynamic vehicle deals with the history of vehicles motion.
It is concerned with what actually happens to the mechanical system as a result of its
displacement from an equilibrium condition. Static stability is pre-requisite for dynamic
stability. A body is dynamically stable if, out of its own accord it eventually returns to
and remains at its equilibrium position over a period of time.

Figure 2.4: Types of Dynamic Stability

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References

[1] J. Jerger, Systems Preliminary Design, Principles of Guided Missile Design. Prince-
ton: D.Van Nostrand Inc, 1960.

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