• Journal of computational fluids engineering
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.70-80
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• 2016

The comparison of two commercial codes(FLUENT and STAR-CCM+) and an open-source code(OpenFOAM) are carried out for the aerodynamic analysis of flight vehicles at low speeds. Tailless blended-wing-body UCAV, main wing and propeller of HALE UAV(EAV-3) are chosen as geometries for the investigation. Using the same mesh, incompressible flow simulations are carried out and the results from three different codes are compared. In the linear region, the maximum difference of lift and drag coefficients of UCAV are found to be less than 2% and 5 counts, respectively and shows good agreement with wind tunnel test data. In a stall region, however, the reliability of RANS simulation is found to become poor and the uncertainty according to code also increases. The effect of turbulence models and meshes generated from different tools are also examined. The transition model yields better results in terms of drag which are much closer to the test data. The pitching moment is confirmed to be sensitive to the existence and the location of transition. For the case of EAV-3 wing, the difference of results with ${\kappa}-{\omega}$ SST model is increased when Reynolds number becomes low. The results for the propeller show good agreement within 1% difference of thrust. The reliability and uncertainty of three codes is found to be reasonable for the purpose of engineering use. However, the physical validity and reliability of results seem to be carefully examined when ${\kappa}-{\omega}$ SST model is used for aerodynamic simulation at low speeds or low Reynolds number conditions.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.67-81
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• 2022

While the aerodynamics of solid bluff bodies is reasonably well-understood and methodologies for their reliable numerical simulation are available, the aerodynamics of porous bluff bodies formed by assembling perforated plates has received less attention. The topic is nevertheless of great technical interest, due to their ubiquitous presence in applications (fences, windbreaks and double skin facades to name a few). This work follows previous investigations by the authors, aimed at verifying the consistency of numerical simulations based on the explicit modelling of the perforated plates geometry and their representation by means of pressure-jumps. In this work we further expand such investigations and, contextually, we provide insight into the flow arrangement and its sensitivity to important modelling and setup configurations. To this purpose, Unsteady Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (URANS) and Large-Eddy Simulations (LES) are performed for a 5:1 rectangular cylinder at null angle of attack. Then, using URANS, porosity and attack angle are simultaneously varied. To the authors' knowledge this is the first time in which LES are used to model a porous bluff body and compare results obtained using the explicit modelling approach to those obtained relying on pressure-jumps. Despite the flow organization often shows noticeable differences, good agreement is found between the two modelling strategies in terms of drag force.

• Advances in aircraft and spacecraft science
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.145-167
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• 2017

The presented paper gives an overview of several projects addressing the experimental characterization and control of the buffet phenomenon on 3D turbulent wings in transonic flow conditions. This aerodynamic instability induces strong wall pressure fluctuations and therefore limits flight domain. Consequently, to enlarge the latter but also to provide more flexibility during the design phase, it is interesting to try to delay the buffet onset. This paper summarizes the main investigations leading to the achievement of open and closed-loop buffet control and its experimental demonstration. Several wind tunnel tests campaigns, performed on a 3D half wing/fuselage body, enabled to characterize the buffet aerodynamic instability and to study the efficiency of innovative fluidic control devices designed and manufactured by ONERA. The analysis of the open-loop databases demonstrated the effects on the usual buffet characteristics, especially on the shock location and the separation areas on the wing suction side. Using these results, a closed-loop control methodology based on a quasi-steady approach was defined and several architectures were tested for various parameters such as the input signal, the objective function, the tuning of the feedback gain. All closed-loop methods were implemented on a dSPACE device able to estimate in real time the fluidic actuators command calculated mainly from the unsteady pressure sensors data. The efficiency of delaying the buffet onset or limiting its effects was demonstrated using the quasi-steady closed-loop approach and tested in both research and industrial wind tunnel environments.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.35-43
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• 2018

This paper describes the effect of different testing parameters (configuration of infrastructure and truck position on road) on truck aerodynamic coefficients under cross wind conditions, by means of a numerical approach known as Large Eddy Simulation (LES). In order to estimate the air flow behaviour around both the infrastructure and the truck, the filtered continuity and momentum equations along with the Smagorinsky-Lilly model were solved. A solution for these non-linear equations was approached through the finite volume method (FVM) and using temporal and spatial discretization schemes. As for the results, the aerodynamic coefficients acting on the truck model exhibited nearly constant values regardless of the Reynolds number. The flat ground is the infrastructure where the rollover coefficient acting on the truck model showed lowest values under cross wind conditions (yaw angle of $90^{\circ}$), while the worst infrastructure studied for vehicle stability was an embankment with downward-slope on the leeward side. The position of the truck on the road and the value of embankment slope angle that minimizes the rollover coefficient were determined by successfully applying the Response Surface Methodology.

• New & Renewable Energy
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• v.7 no.4
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• pp.50-57
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• 2011

A wind turbine simulation program for the coupled dynamics of aerodynamics, elasticity, multi-body dynamics and controls of turbine is newly developed by combining an aero-elastic code and a multi-body dynamics code. The aero-elastic code, based on the blade momentum theory and generalized dynamic wake theory, is developed by NREL(National Renewable Energy Laboratory, USA). The multi-body dynamics code is commercial one which is capable of accounting for geometric nonlinearity and twist deflection. A turbulent wind load case is simulated for the NREL 5-MW baseline wind turbine model by the developed program and FAST. As a result, the two results agree well enough to verify the reliability of the developed program.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.29-40
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• 2004

This study has focused on aerodynamics for a wind-resistance design about the single and tandem box girder sections to realize a super-long span bridge in the near future. Three-dimensional static analysis of flows around the fundamental single and tandem box girder sections with fairing is carried out by means of the IBTD/FS finite element technique with LES turbulence model. As the results of the analysis, computations have verified aerodynamic characteristics of both sections by the histories of aerodynamic forces, the separation and reattachment flow patterns and the surface pressure distributions. The relationship between the section shapes and the aerodynamic characteristics is also investigated in both sections. And the mechanism about the generation of fluctuating aerodynamic forces is discussed.

• Journal of Aerospace System Engineering
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.62-66
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• 2015

During the conceptual design of turboprop aircraft, the power effect driven from rotating propeller is typically obtained from empirical data. In the present paper, propeller power effect was obtained by using unsteady three-dimensional Navier-Stokes solver with $k-{\omega}$ turbulence model for the accurate prediction of turboprop aircraft performance. In order to simulate the relative motion between propeller and fuselage, unsteady sliding mesh method was used. During simulation, three flow conditions such as climb, cruise and descending flight were selected considering the flight envelop of the real turboprop aircraft. For the correction of aerodynamic coefficients, the thrust effect of engine exhaust gas was included based on the engine manufacturer's data. Using the computational results, the correction table for the aerodynamic coefficient of turboprop aircraft was suggested for the performance analysis of turboprop aircraft.

• International Journal of Aerospace System Engineering
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.26-30
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• 2016

Experimental study on the unsteady aerodynamics analysis and power consumption of a folding wing is accomplished using a wind tunnel testing. A folding wing model is fabricated and actuated using servo motors. The flapping wing consists of an inboard main wing and an outboard folding wing. The aerodynamic forces and consumed powers of the flapping wing are measured by changing the flapping and folding wings inside a low-speed wind tunnel. In order to calculate the aerodynamic forces, the measured forces are modified using static test data. It was found that the effect of the folding wing on the flapping wing's total lift is small but the effect of the folding wing on the total thrust is larger than the main wing. The folding motion requires the extra use of the servo motor. Thus, the amount of the energy consumption increases when both the wings are actuated together. As the flight speed increases, the power consumption of the folding wing decreases which results in energy saving.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.4 no.4
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• pp.315-332
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• 2001

Presented herein is a numerical study for evaluating the aerodynamic behaviour of equipped bridge deck sections. In the first part, the method adopted is described, in particular concerning turbulence models, meshing requirements and numerical approach. The validation of the procedure represents the aim of the second part of the paper: the results of the numerical simulation in case of two-dimensional, steady, incompressible, turbulent flow around a realistic bridge deck are compared to the data collected from wind-tunnel tests. In order to demonstrate the influence of the section details and of the partial streamlining of the deck geometry on its aerodynamic behaviour, in the third part of the paper the effect of the fairings and of each item of equipment of the section (such as central barriers, side railings and sidewalks) is evaluated. The study has been applied to the deck section of the Normandy cable-stayed bridge.

• Advances in aircraft and spacecraft science
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.331-344
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• 2021

Airframe internal and external specifications are the product of intensive intellectual efforts and technological breakthroughs distinguishing each aircraft manufacturer. Therefore, geometrical information characterizing aircraft primary aerodynamic surfaces remain classified. When attempting to model real aircraft, many members of the aeronautical community depend on their personal expertise and generic design principles to bypass the confidentiality obstacles and sketch real aircraft airfoils, which therefore vary for the same aircraft due to the different designers' initial assumptions. This paper presents a photogrammetric shape prediction method for deriving geometrical properties of real aircraft airframe by utilizing their publicly accessible static and dynamic visual content. The method is based on extracting the visually distinguishable curves at the fairing regions between aerodynamic surfaces and fuselage. Two case studies on B-29 and B-737 are presented showing how to approximate the sectional coordinates of their wing inboard airfoils and proving the good agreement between the geometrical and aerodynamic properties of the replicated airfoils to their original versions. Therefore, the paper provides a systematic reverse engineering approach that will enhance aircraft conceptual design and flight performance optimization studies.