Prediction Of Aerodynamic Drag Research Articles

A high‐order discontinuous Galerkin approach for physics‐based thermospheric modeling

AbstractThe accurate prediction of aerodynamic drag on satellites orbiting in the upper atmosphere is critical to the operational success of modern space technologies, such as satellite‐based communication or navigation systems, which have become increasingly popular in the last few years due to the deployment of constellations of satellites in low‐Earth orbit. As a result, physics‐based models of the ionosphere and thermosphere have emerged as a necessary tool for the prediction of atmospheric outputs under highly variable space weather conditions. This paper proposes a high‐fidelity approach for physics‐based space weather modeling based on the solution of the Navier–Stokes equations using a high‐order discontinuous Galerkin method, combined with a matrix‐free strategy suitable for high‐performance computing on GPU architectures. The approach consists of a thermospheric model that describes a chemically frozen neutral atmosphere in nonhydrostatic equilibrium driven by the external excitation of the Sun. A novel set of variables is considered to treat the low densities present in the upper atmosphere and to accommodate the wide range of scales present in the problem. At the same time, and unlike most existing approaches, radial and angular directions are treated in a nonsegregated approach. The study presents a set of numerical examples that demonstrate the accuracy of the approximation and validate the current approach against observational data along a satellite orbit, including estimates of established empirical and physics‐based models of the ionosphere‐thermosphere system. Finally, a one‐dimensional radial derivation of the physics‐based model is presented and utilized for conducting a parametric study of the main thermal quantities under various solar conditions.

Effects of Speed and Posture on Aerodynamic Characteristics of Running and Required Power

Types of running vary from jogging in parks to fast running in competitions. Humans strive for faster, stronger, and more sustainable running performances spanning short to long distances. In the near future, wearable devices will enable humans to run at high speeds and overcome human limits. Therefore, aerodynamic prediction is essential for the system design of a wearable device. This study focused on the aerodynamic drag and flow field according to the assumed human posture at takeoff and touchdown for various running speeds. Numerical simulations were conducted with the Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes equation, and a mathematical model, in conjunction with the use of simple geometric models, was developed to predict the aerodynamic drag. In addition, the power and energy were analyzed based on the generated aerodynamic drag. This study demonstrated the theoretical prediction of aerodynamic drag, and estimated the power and energy required to overcome it. The results from this study can be useful in the fields of sports, soft robotics, and biomechanics. Furthermore, the effects of wearable devices attached to the body on the aerodynamic drag can be analyzed by applying the presented methods, and this analysis is beneficial for the optimal design of wearable suits.

Transition study of 3D aerodynamic configures using improved transport equations modeling

As boundary layer transition plays an important role in aerodynamic drag prediction, the proposal and study of transition prediction methods simulating the complex flow phenomena are prerequisite for aerodynamic design. In this paper, with the application of the linear stability theory based on amplification factor transport transition equations on the two-equation shear stress transport (SST) eddy-viscosity model, a new method, the SST-NTS-NCF model, is yielded. The new amplification factor transport equation for the crossflow instability induced transition is proposed to add to the NTS equation proposed by Coder, which simulates Tollmien–Schlichting wave transition. The turbulent kinetic energy equation is modified by introducing a new source term that simulates the transition process without the intermittency factor equation. Finally, coupled with these two amplification factor transport equations and SST turbulence model, a four-equation transition turbulence model is built. Comparisons between predictions using the new model and wind-tunnel experiments of NACA64(2)A015, NLF(2)-0415 and ONERA-D infinite swept wing and ONERA-M6 swept wing validate the predictive quality of the new SST-NTS-NCF model.

CFD Study of an Annular-Ducted Fan Lift System for VTOL Aircraft

The present study aimed at assessing a novel annular-ducted fan lift system for VTOL aircraft through computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations. The power and lift efficiency of the lift fan system in hover mode, the lift and drag in transition mode, the drag and flight speed of the aircraft in cruise mode and the pneumatic coupling of the tip turbine and jet exhaust were studied. The results show that the annular-ducted fan lift system can have higher lift efficiency compared to the rotor of the Apache helicopter; the smooth transition from vertical takeoff to cruise flight needs some extra forward thrust to overcome a low peak of drag; the aircraft with the lift fan system enclosed during cruise flight theoretically may fly faster than helicopters and tiltrotors based on aerodynamic drag prediction, due to the elimination of rotor drag and compressibility effects on the rotor blade tips; and pneumatic coupling of the tip turbine and jet exhaust of a 300 m/s velocity can provide enough moment to spin the lift fan. The CFD results provide insight for future experimental study of the annular-ducted lift fan VTOL aircraft.

Grid Quality and Resolution Issues from the Drag Prediction Workshop Series

The drag prediction workshop series (DPW), held over the last six years, and sponsored by the AIAA Applied Aerodynamics Committee, has been extremely useful in providing an assessment of the state-of-the-art in computationally based aerodynamic drag prediction. An emerging consensus from the three workshop series has been the identification of spatial discretization errors as a dominant error source in absolute as well as incremental drag prediction. This paper provides an overview of the collective experience from the worksho series regarding the effect of grid-related issues on overall drag prediction accuracy. Examples based on workshop results are used to illustrate the effect of grid resolution and grid quality on drag prediction, and grid convergence behavior is examined in detail. For fully attached flows, various accurate and successful workshop results are demonstrated, while anomalous behavior is identified for a number of cases involving substantial regions of separated flow. Based on collective workshop experiences, recommendations for improvements in mesh generation technology which have the potential to impact the state-of-the-art of aerodynamic drag prediction are given.