A Synthesis of Hybrid RANS/LES CFD Results for F-16XL Aircraft Aerodynamics

A synthesis is presented of recent numerical predictions for the F-16XL aircraft flow fields and aerodynamics. The computational results were all performed with hybrid RANS/LES formulations, with an emphasis on unsteady flows and subsequent aerodynamics, and results from five computational methods are included. The work was focused on one particular low-speed, high angle-of-attack flight test condition, and comparisons against flight-test data are included. This work represents the third coordinated effort using the F-16XL aircraft, and a unique flight-test data set, to advance our knowledge of slender airframe aerodynamics as well as our capability for predicting these aerodynamics with advanced CFD formulations. The prior efforts were identified as Cranked Arrow Wing Aerodynamics Project International, with the acronyms CAWAPI and CAWAPI-2. All information in this paper is in the public domain

Synthesis of Hybrid Computational Fluid Dynamics Results for F-16XL Aircraft Aerodynamics

A synthesis is presented of recent numerical predictions for the F-16XL aircraft flowfields and aerodynamics. The computational results were all performed with hybrid RANS/LES formulations, with an emphasis on unsteady flows and subsequent aerodynamics, and results from five computational methods are included. The work was focused on one particular low-speed, high angle-of-attack flight test condition, and comparisons against flight-test data are included. This work represents the third coordinated effort using the F-16XL aircraft, and a unique flight-test data set, to advance our knowledge of slender airframe aerodynamics as well as our capability for predicting these aerodynamics with advanced CFD formulations. The prior efforts were identified as Cranked Arrow Wing Aerodynamics Project International, with the acronyms CAWAPI and CAWAPI-2

FLOW PHYSICS ANALYSES ON THE UCAV SACCON CONFIGURATION USING AN INTEGRATED COMPUTATIONAL AND EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH

The understanding of the vortical flow in connection with the non-linear aerodynamic behavior of the UCAV SACCON “Stability And Control CONfiguration” configuration is the subject of this paper. For this purpose, an integrated approach is used taking experimental data and numerical results into account to establish an entire picture of the flow physics and induced aerodynamic behavior in symmetrical flow

Flow Physics Analyses of a Generic Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle Configuration

Within the NATO Research and Technology Organisation Applied Vehicle Technology (AVT)-161 task group, titled “Assessment of Stability and Control Predictions for NATO Air and Sea Vehicles,” a 53 swept and twisted lambda wing with rounded leading edges is considered. In a first step, the symmetric flow conditions are analyzed in this paper in order to understand the corresponding flow physics. Experiments by the task group are used to develop proper numerical simulation tools for further applications in the design process of unmanned combat aerial vehicles as a part of future air-combat systems. The philosophy of the configuration under consideration is explained. The vortical flowfield is simulated using the DLR, German Aerospace Center TAU-Code applied with different turbulence models on various computational grids. Finally, a best practice is evaluated for medium and large angles of attack. A combination of these numerical results and experimental data lead to a proper understanding of the complex flow structure. Furthermore, this paper addresses the necessity for the predictability and understanding of controlled and uncontrolled flow separation, together with the interaction of the corresponding vortex systems in order to estimate stability and control issues for the entire flight envelope