Synergistic integration of computational fluid dynamics and experimental fluid dynamics for ground effect aerodynamics studies

T. J. Barber*, G. Doig, C. Beves, I. Watson, S. Diasinos

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

11 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

This article highlights the 'synergistic' use of experimental fluid dynamics (EFD) and computational fluid dynamics (CFD), where the two sets of simulations are performed concurrently and by the same researcher. In particular, examples from the area of ground effect aerodynamics are discussed, where the major facility used was also designed through a combination of CFD and EFD. Three examples are than outlined, to demonstrate the insight that can be obtained from the integration of CFD and EFD studies. The case studies are the study of dimple flow (to enhance aerodynamic performance), the analysis of a Formula-style front wing and wheel, and the study of compressible flow ground effect aerodynamics. In many instances, CFD has been used to not only provide complementary information to an experimental study, but to design the experiments. Laser-based, non-intrusive experimental techniques were used to provide an excellent complement to CFD. The large datasets found from both experimental and numerical simulations have required a new methodology to correlate the information; a new post-processing method has been developed, making use of the kriging and co-kriging estimators, to develop correlations between the often disparate data types.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)602-619
Number of pages18
JournalProceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part G: Journal of Aerospace Engineering
Volume226
Issue number6
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jun 2012
Externally publishedYes

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