Hwankee Cho/Chihang Kang/Youngil Jang/Sanghyun Lee/Kwangyoun Kim
International Journal of Aeronautical and Space Sicences, vol. 11, no. 4, pp.345-350, 2010

Abstract : The repetitive vibrating action of an aerodynamic load causes an external fuel tank’s horizontal fin to experience a shorter life cycle of than its originally predicted life. Store separation analysis is needed to redesign the fin of an external fuel tank. In this research, free-drop tests were conducted using 15% scaled models in a subsonic wind tunnel in order to analyze the store separation characteristics of an external fuel tank. The store separation trajectory based on grid tests was also obtained to verify the results of the free-drop tests. The results acquired from the free-drop tests correlated well with the grid tests in regards to the trajectories and behavior of the stores separated from the aircraft. This was especially noted in the critical early stages of the store separation.

Keyword : External fuel tank, Store separation, Wind tunnel, Free-drop test, Grid test, Trajectory