Question

2) You have been assigned to create a missile warhead reentry nose cone. Describe the properties needed for the nose cone. ?

Please explain in clear words. Thanks

Answer 1

Firstly it should be of light weight, as it requires less fuel and increases the range of the missile.

In design point of view, sharppointed nose conguration should have the capability of converting into a blunt-nose structure when descending into the atmosphere. This have the advantage of providing minimum resistance when rising vertically through the atmosphere and a large drag when descending into the atmosphere.

Mainly, friction created by a falling body of that mass at that speeds, would produce surface temperatures of about 15,000^oF, which is higher than melting point of any material available. Nose cone should protect the warhead from the heat that is being generated due to friction. Hence the material should be able to absorb all the heat and keep the warhead away from the heat. So the material for nose cone should have good thermal conductivity. Also a material which can vapourize by absorbing some heat and should form a cloud of gases in front of the cone which acts as a insulator and reduces its temperature even further.