Numerical investigation of vortical flows over a close-coupled delta canard-wing configuration

Abstract

In this study, vortex dominated flows over a close-coupled canard-wing-body configuration at high angles of attack are studied by using the open-source flow solver, SU2 in a parallel computing environment. Validation studies with solution adaptive grid refinements and turbulence models are first performed. The vortical flow fields due to the canard and wing vortices are assessed in terms of vortex dynamics, vortex breakdown, vortex induced surface pressure distributions and the integrated aerodynamic loads. The spanwise surface pressure distributions and vortex breakdown locations are favorably compared against the experimental and the numerical studies available in the literature. It is shown that the SU2 flow solver equipped with the state of the art tools and models accurately predicts the vortical flow features, vortex breakdowns and the aerodynamic loads for canard-wing-body configurations at high angles of attack.