Experimental investigation of the separated flow past slender bodies in the RAE 5 metre low-speed pressurised wind tunnel

Tests carried out on a cone cylinder model in the 5 m low speed wind tunnel provided examples of the pressure distribution near the nose in conditions where significant values of side force occur, showing how this is dependent on roll angle of the nominally axially symmetric body. At values of roll where the side force is at its maximum, comparison of the measured pressure distribution with that predicted theoretically , using an inviscid mathematical model of the separated flow past a slender cone, shows that the major features of the flow are identified reasonably well by the inviscid model and that the development of the side force at least in its major features can be described without the need for appeal to any additional viscous interaction. Further work, however, was necessary to identify the mechanisms giving rise to intermediate values of side force.