Dynamics Considerations Dedicated to Study Bodies in High-Altitude Free Fall
Abstract
The objective of this thesis is to develop a simulation model to study the dynamics of a rigid
body in free fall. A set of 6 degrees of freedom (DOF) equations is developed to reflect the
dynamic and trajectory characteristics over time. The simulation models a body dropped at
different altitudes ranging from 30,480 – 39,624 m (100,000 – 130,000 ft). The trajectory of
the body is analyzed using a mathematical nonlinear dynamics model. The mathematical
model was developed in MATLAB and Simulink which can be modified for different
geometries and conditions. The model was validated by testing that the simulated results
were consistent with the expected outcome from literature on rigid body motion. The
simulated results agree with the data from literature and the validation was done for every
block where it was possible to do so.
The simulation will study different length-to-diameter ratios, geometries, initial
disturbances, applied forces and fill fractions so the optimal parameters are selected for an
instrumented scaled model. The results will provide a dataset to verify and validate
simulations, improve confidence of models and reduce uncertainty.