An integrated CFD/experimental analysis of aerodynamic forces and moments

Abstract

Aerodynamic analysis using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is most fruitful when it is combined with a thorough program of wind tunnel testing. The understanding of aerodynamic phenomena is enhanced by the synergistic use of both analysis methods. A technique is described for an integrated approach to determining the forces and moments acting on a wind tunnel model by using a combination of experimentally measured pressures and CFD predictions. The CFD code used was FLO57 (an Euler solver) and the wind tunnel model was a heavily instrumented delta wing with 62.5 deg of leading-edge sweep. A thorough comparison of the CFD results and the experimental data is presented for surface pressure distributions and longitudinal forces and moments. The experimental pressures were also integrated over the surface of the model and the resulting forces and moments are compared to the CFD and wind tunnel results. The accurate determination of various drag increments via the combined use of the CFD and experimental pressures is presented in detail