Tetra CFD Applications
Jet Interaction Control
Jet interaction uses the principle of reaction
thrust to provide aerodynamic maneuvering and control authority for a missile in flight. The reaction
control thrusters, located at the missile center of gravity or sometimes at the aft end, fire perpendicularly
into the oncoming free stream. The resulting aerodynamic interaction effect creates a pressure disturbance
on the surface of the missile that is often a large percentage of the nominal vacuum thrust. The direction
of the interaction thrust vector can either augment or diminish the reaction thrust, but it is always a function
of missile attitude and altitude. Jet interaction may often be computed using the assumption of a
nonreacting exhaust gas, but in some low altitude situations, external combustion processes must be
considered as afterburning of the jet exhaust contributes significantly to the aerodynamic interaction
effects.