Comparative study of turbulence models in CFD for transonic flow over the ONERA M6 wing

Abstract

Transonic flight presents significant challenges due to complex phenomena such as shock waves and turbulent boundary layer interactions, often leading to flow separation and instabilities. This study aims to evaluate the performance of various turbulence models in predicting these phenomena using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) with ANSYS-Fluent 2020R1. The ONERA M6 wing model is analyzed under specific flow conditions (angle of attack, α = 3.06°, Mach number, M∞ = 0.8395, and Reynolds number, Re = 11.72 × 10^6) to assess five turbulence models: Spalart–Allmaras, k-ε Standard, k-ε Realizable, k-ω Standard, and k-ω SST. Results from the simulations closely matched experimental data, with all models demonstrating a margin of error within 5% compared to NASA’s CFD benchmarks. Notably, the Spalart–Allmaras and k-ω SST models showed superior accuracy in predicting shock formation and pressure distribution, highlighting their potential for enhanced predictive capabilities in aerodynamic analysis. This study demonstrates the effectiveness of ANSYS-Fluent in aerodynamic performance evaluation and suggests pathways for advancing aircraft design efficiency and safety through improved turbulence modeling.