23rd Congress of International Council of the Aeronautical Sciences, 8-13 September, 2002, Toronto, Canada
Paper ICAS 2002-1.11.2

SHORT TURNAROUND TIME TURBULENT FLOW COMPUTATIONS FOR COMPLETE AIRCRAFT CONFIGURATIONS

J. W. Van Der Burg, E. T. A. Van Der Weide
NLR, Netherlands

Keywords: geometry modelling, hybrid grid based cfd technology

Aerodynamic design and development of civil and military aircraft relies to an increasing extent on Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analysis tools as time goes on. These tools are seen as complementary to wind tunnel tests and flight tests. Computational methods can provide a better insight into specific aerodynamic features. For example they can give a better insight in installation effects of geometry components, such as engine(s), flaps, slats, flap tip devices, bay doors, weapons, fuel tanks and pods on the flow field. CFD tools can be used to assess the aerodynamic characteristics of an aircraft in terms of aerodynamic coefficients such as lift, drag and moments, and to examine the behaviour of aircraft under aerodynamic high loaded conditions. Hybrid grid technology, combining prismatic grid generation near aerodynamic surfaces with automatic tetrahedral volume grid generation, has become an important tool for aerodynamic analysis and design because it allows a higher level of automation than classical CFD. In the paper the main research results of the EU-funded project FASTFLO II will be reviewed. Application of hybrid grid technology to high lift configurations will be illustrated. Possible ways to further improve the capabilities of the hybrid grid CFD technology are discussed.

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