Abstract
Early aerodynamic mathematical methods rely on potential flow concepts that formally isolate aerodynamic drag into a profile and an induced drag component. The more recent evolution of Navier–Stokes-based Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) methods typically directly computes aerodynamic forces. It does so using surface integration of pressure and viscous forces, which does not readily enable conventional separation of profile and induced drag. Isolating induced drag from aerodynamic drag is not well developed using CFD, leading to the present effort that derives a mathematical framework to extract induced drag from CFD model results. The present approach builds on mass, momentum, and energy equation control volume analysis performed within the CFD results. We find that the energy equation provides the necessary means for the closure of quantifying induced drag within the context of minor assumptions. In addition, the results indicate an interesting character in the development of energy losses in the context of induced drag associated with flow reorganization into a tip vortex. The results from the approach indicate accuracy in the method as displayed with good correlation to predictions from analytical and potential flow methods for a variety of wing planforms. Results indicate a novel and efficient method to extract induced drag from CFD models.
Highlights
It is of interest to engineers to identify individual contributions of drag to an arbitrary body because specific design changes can be applied to lower these individual aerodynamic losses
This study aims at closing that gap through a semi-analytical method to directly compute induced and profile drag components on wings through viscous Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations
This study systematically evaluates drag from a CFD prediction using both momentum and energy equations
Summary
It is of interest to engineers to identify individual contributions of drag to an arbitrary body because specific design changes can be applied to lower these individual aerodynamic losses. A prime example of this is the finite wing, which experiences a combination of viscous and inviscid drag. These pressure and viscous forces can readily be computed from Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations at a discrete level, where surface integration provides the bulk aerodynamic forces. In the context of CFD, such decoupling is non-trivial. This presents a gap for CFD simulations in the inability to isolate effects of cross-sectional shape and planform shape that are critical in the design of wings. This study aims at closing that gap through a semi-analytical method to directly compute induced and profile drag components on wings through viscous CFD simulations
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