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Large Eddy Simulation (LES) is carried out using the Rolls-Royce Hydra CFD code in order to investigate and give further insight into highly turbulent, unsteady flow structures for automotive applications. LES resolves time dependent eddies that are modelled in the steady-state by Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) turbulence models. A standard Smagorinsky subgrid scale model is used to model the energy transfer between large and subgrid scales. Since Hydra is an unstructured algorithm, a variety of unstructured hexahedral, tetrahedral and hybrid grids are used for the different cases investigated. Due to the computational requirements of LES, the cases in this study replicate and analyse generic flow problems through simplified geometry, rather than modelling accurate race car geometry which would lead to infeasible calculations. The first case investigates the flow around a diffuser-equipped bluff body at an experimental Reynolds number of 1.01 times 10 to the power 6 based on model height and inlet velocity. LES is carried out on unstructured hexahedral grids of 10 million and 20 million nodes, with the latter showing improved surface pressure when compared to the experiments. Comparisons of velocity and vorticity between the LES and experiments at the diffuser exit plane show a good level of agreement. Flow visualisation of the vortices in the diffuser region and behind the model from the mean and instantaneous flow attempts to explain the relation or otherwise between the two. The main weakness of the simulation was the late laminar to turbulent transition in the underbody region. The size of the domain and high experimental Reynolds number make this case very challenging. After the challenges faced by the diffuser-equipped bluff body, the underbody region is isolated so that increased grid refinement can be achieved in this region and the calculation is run at a Reynolds number of 220, 000, reducing the computational requirement from the previous case. A vortex generator mounted onto a flat underbody at an onset angle to the flow is modelled to generate vortices that extend along the length of the underbody and its interaction with the ground is analysed. Since the vortex generator resembles a slender wing with an incidence to the flow, a delta wing study is presented as a preliminary step since literature on automotive vortex generators in ground effect is scarce. Results from the delta wing study which is run at an experimental Reynolds number of 1.56 times 10 to the power 6 are in very good agreement with previous experiments and Detached Eddy Simulation (DES) studies, giving improved detail and understanding. Axial velocity and vorticity contours at several chordwise stations show that the leading edge vortices are predicted very well by a 20 million node tetrahedral grid. Sub-structures that originate from the leading edge of the wing and form around the core of the leading edge vortex are also captured. Large Eddy Simulation for the flow around an underbody vortex generator over a smooth ground and a rough ground is presented. A hexahedral grid of 40 million nodes is used for the smooth ground case, whilst a 48 million node hybrid grid was generated for the rough ground case so that the detailed geometry near the ground could be captured by tetrahedral cells. The geometry for the rough surface is modelled by scanning a tarmac surface to capture the cavities and protrusions in the ground. This is the first time that a rough surface representing a tarmac road has been computed in a CFD simulation, so that its effect on vortex decay can be studied. Flow visualisation of the instantaneous flow has shown strong interaction with the ground and the results from this study have given an initial understanding in this area.

This thesis deals with Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD)simulations of the flow around delta wings at high angles ofattack. These triangular wings, mainly used in militaryaircraft designs, experience the formation of two vortices ontheir lee-side at large angles of attack. The simulation ofthis vortical flow by solving the Navier-Stokes equations isthe subject of this thesis. The purpose of the work is toimprove the understanding of this flow and contribute to thedesign of such a wing by developing methods that enable moreaccurate and efficient CFD simulations. Simulations of the formation, burst and disappearance of thevortices while the angle of attack is changing are presented.The structured flow solver NSMB has been used to get thetime-dependent solutions of the flow. Both viscous and inviscidresults of a 70°-swept delta wing pitching in anoscillatory motion are reported. The creation of the dynamiclift and the hysteresis observed in the history of theaerodynamic forces are well reproduced. The second part of the thesis is focusing on automatic meshrefinement and its influence on simulations of the delta wingleading-edge vortices. All the simulations to assess the gridquality are inviscid computations performed with theunstructured flow solver EDGE. A first study reports on theeffects of refining thewake of the delta wing. A70°-swept delta wing at a Mach number of 0.2 and an angleof attack of 27° where vortex breakdown is present abovethe wing, is used as testcase. The results show a strongdependence on the refinement, particularly the vortex breakdownposition, which leads to the conclusion that the wake should berefined at least partly. Using this information, a grid for thewing in the wind tunnel is created in order to assess theinfluence of the tunnel walls. Three sensors for automatic meshrefinement of vortical flows are presented. Two are based onflow variables (production of entropy and ratio of totalpressures) while the third one requires an eigenvalue analysisof the tensor of the velocity gradients in order to capture theposition of the vortices in the flow. These three vortexsensors are successfully used for the simulation of the same70° delta wing at an angle of attack of 20°. Acomparison of the sensors reveals the more local property ofthe third one based on the eigenvalue analysis. This lattertechnique is applied to the simulation of the wake of a deltawing at an angle of attack of 20°. The simulations on ahighly refined mesh show that the vortex sheet shed from thetrailing-edge rolls up into a vortex that interacts with theleading-edge vortex. Finally the vortex-detection technique isused to refine the grid around a Saab Aerosystems UnmannedCombat Air Vehicle (UCAV) configuration and its flight dynamicscharacteristics are investigated. Key words:delta wing, high angle of attack, vortex,pitching, mesh refinement, UCAV, vortex sensor, tensor ofvelocity gradients.

This thesis covers the field of vortex-flow dominated external aerodynamics. As part of the contribution to the AVT-113 task group it was possible to prove the feasibility of high Reynolds number CFD computations to resolve and thus better understand the peculiar dual vortex system encountered on the VFE-2 blunt leading edge delta wing at low to moderate incidences. Initial investigations into this phenomenon seemed to undermine the hypothesis, that the formation of the inner vortex system depends on the laminar/turbulent state of the boundary layer at separation onset. As a result of this research, the initial hypothesis had to be expanded to account also for high Reynolds number cases, where a laminar boundary layer at separation onset can be excluded. In addition, unsteady transonic computations are used to shed light on a highly non-linear phenomenon encountered at high angles of incidence. At certain conditions, the increase of the incidence by a single degree leads to a sudden movement of the vortex breakdown location from the trailing edge to mid-chord. The lessons learned from the contribution to the VFE-2 facet are furthermore used to prove the technology readiness level of the tools within the second facet of AVT-113, the Cranked Arrow Wing Aerodynamics Project International (CAWAPI). The platform for this investigation, the F-16XL aircraft, experiences at high transonic speeds and low incidence a complex interaction between the leading edge vortex and a strong, mid-chord shock wave. A synergetic effect of VFE-2 with a further project, the Environmentally friendly High Speed Aircraft (HISAC), is also presented in this thesis. Reynolds number dependence is documented in respect to leading edge vortex formation of the wing planform for a reference HISAC configuration. Furthermore, proof is found for a similar dual vortex system as for the VFE-2 blunt leading edge configuration. / QC 20100713

<p>This thesis deals with Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD)simulations of the flow around delta wings at high angles ofattack. These triangular wings, mainly used in militaryaircraft designs, experience the formation of two vortices ontheir lee-side at large angles of attack. The simulation ofthis vortical flow by solving the Navier-Stokes equations isthe subject of this thesis. The purpose of the work is toimprove the understanding of this flow and contribute to thedesign of such a wing by developing methods that enable moreaccurate and efficient CFD simulations.</p><p>Simulations of the formation, burst and disappearance of thevortices while the angle of attack is changing are presented.The structured flow solver NSMB has been used to get thetime-dependent solutions of the flow. Both viscous and inviscidresults of a 70°-swept delta wing pitching in anoscillatory motion are reported. The creation of the dynamiclift and the hysteresis observed in the history of theaerodynamic forces are well reproduced.</p><p>The second part of the thesis is focusing on automatic meshrefinement and its influence on simulations of the delta wingleading-edge vortices. All the simulations to assess the gridquality are inviscid computations performed with theunstructured flow solver EDGE. A first study reports on theeffects of refining thewake of the delta wing. A70°-swept delta wing at a Mach number of 0.2 and an angleof attack of 27° where vortex breakdown is present abovethe wing, is used as testcase. The results show a strongdependence on the refinement, particularly the vortex breakdownposition, which leads to the conclusion that the wake should berefined at least partly. Using this information, a grid for thewing in the wind tunnel is created in order to assess theinfluence of the tunnel walls. Three sensors for automatic meshrefinement of vortical flows are presented. Two are based onflow variables (production of entropy and ratio of totalpressures) while the third one requires an eigenvalue analysisof the tensor of the velocity gradients in order to capture theposition of the vortices in the flow. These three vortexsensors are successfully used for the simulation of the same70° delta wing at an angle of attack of 20°. Acomparison of the sensors reveals the more local property ofthe third one based on the eigenvalue analysis. This lattertechnique is applied to the simulation of the wake of a deltawing at an angle of attack of 20°. The simulations on ahighly refined mesh show that the vortex sheet shed from thetrailing-edge rolls up into a vortex that interacts with theleading-edge vortex. Finally the vortex-detection technique isused to refine the grid around a Saab Aerosystems UnmannedCombat Air Vehicle (UCAV) configuration and its flight dynamicscharacteristics are investigated.</p><p><b>Key words:</b>delta wing, high angle of attack, vortex,pitching, mesh refinement, UCAV, vortex sensor, tensor ofvelocity gradients.</p>

<p>With this contribution to the AVT-113/VFE-2 task group it was possible to prove the feasibility of high Reynolds number CFD computations to resolve and thus better understand the peculiar dual vortex system encountered on the VFE-2 blunt leading edge delta wing. Initial investigations into this phenomenon seemed to undermine the hypothesis, that the formation of the inner vortex system relies on the laminar state of the boundary layer at separation onset. As a result of this research, this initial hypothesis had to be expanded to account also for high Reynolds number cases, where a laminar boundary layer status at separation onset could be excluded. Furthermore, the data published in the same context shows evidence of secondary separation under the inner primary vortex. This further supports the supposition of a different generation mechanism of the inner vortical system other than a pure development out of a possibly laminar separation bubble. The unsteady computations performed on numerical grids with different levels of refinement led furthermore to the establishment of internal guidelines specific to the DES approach.</p>

With this contribution to the AVT-113/VFE-2 task group it was possible to prove the feasibility of high Reynolds number CFD computations to resolve and thus better understand the peculiar dual vortex system encountered on the VFE-2 blunt leading edge delta wing. Initial investigations into this phenomenon seemed to undermine the hypothesis, that the formation of the inner vortex system relies on the laminar state of the boundary layer at separation onset. As a result of this research, this initial hypothesis had to be expanded to account also for high Reynolds number cases, where a laminar boundary layer status at separation onset could be excluded. Furthermore, the data published in the same context shows evidence of secondary separation under the inner primary vortex. This further supports the supposition of a different generation mechanism of the inner vortical system other than a pure development out of a possibly laminar separation bubble. The unsteady computations performed on numerical grids with different levels of refinement led furthermore to the establishment of internal guidelines specific to the DES approach. / QC 20101111

The present investigation is a two-part study of the mean flow and turbulence structure of isolated vortices and counter-rotating vortex pairs. In the first part, the turbulence structure of an isolated vortex was studied using three-component velocity measurements. Vortices were generated using two symmetrical airfoils. Measurements were made in cross-sectional grids and profiles over a range of Reynolds numbers and downstream distances. Contours of axial normal stress were high-pass filtered to remove the contributions of wandering to the velocity fluctuations. This process reveals a vortex core which is laminar and is surrounded by a region of high turbulence. Core velocity profiles reveal that maximum tangential velocity increases with Reynolds number and decreases with distance downstream. Core radius increases with distance downstream and decreases with Reynolds number. In the second part, flow visualizations of the wake behind a delta wing model were made for a range of Reynolds numbers and lift coefficients. These visualizations reveal the near-instantaneous turbulence structure of the wing wake which is dominated by a vortex pair and a connecting "braid" wake. The braid spacing decreases with increasing Reynolds number and is independent of lift coefficient. The extent of the braid downstream of the wing increases with lift coefficient and decreases with increasing Reynolds number. The large turbulence scales in the wing wake were found to increase in discrete jumps indicating some sort of reorganization of turbulence such as pairing. This reorganization of turbulence was found to occur more quickly as Reynolds number is increased. / Master of Science

<p>The overall goal of the research presented in this thesis is to extend the physical understanding of the unsteady external aerodynamics associated with highly maneuverable delta-wing aircraft by using and developing novel, more efficient computational fluid dynamics (CFD) tools. More specific, the main purpose is to simulate and better understand the basic fluid phenomena, such as vortex breakdown, that limit the performance of delta-wing aircraft. The problem is approached by going from the most simple aircraft configuration - a pure delta wing - to more complex configurations. As the flow computations of delta wings at high angle of attack have a variety of unusual aspects that make accurate predictions challenging, best practices for the CFD codes used are developed and documented so as to raise their technology readiness level when applied to this class of flows.</p><p>Initially, emphasis is put on subsonic steady-state CFD simulations of stand-alone delta wings to keep the phenomenon of vortex breakdown as clean as possible. For half-span models it is established that the essential characteristics of vortex breakdown are captured by a structured CFD code. The influence of viscosity on vortex breakdown is studied and numerical results for the aerodynamic coefficients, the surface pressure distribution and breakdown locations are compared to experimental data where possible.</p><p>In a second step, structured grid generation issues, numerical aspects of the simulation of this nonlinear type of flow and the interaction of a forebody with a delta wing are explored.</p><p>Then, on an increasing level of complexity, time-accurate numerical studies are performed to resolve the unsteady flow field over half and full-span, stationary delta wings at high angle of attack. Both Euler and Detached Eddy Simulations (DES) are performed to predict the streamwise oscillations of the vortex breakdown location about some mean position, asymmetry in the breakdown location due to the interaction between the left and right vortices, as well as the rotation of the spiral structure downstream of breakdown in a time-accurate manner. The computed flow-field solutions are visualized and analyzed in a virtual-reality environment.</p><p>Ultimately, steady-state and time-dependent simulations of a full-scale fighter-type aircraft configuration in steady flight are performed using the advanced turbulence models and the detached-eddy simulation capability of an edge-based, unstructured flow solver. The computed results are compared to flight-test data.</p><p>The thesis also addresses algorithmic efficiency and presents a novel implicit-explicit algorithm, the Recursive Projection Method (RPM), for computations of both steady and unsteady flows. It is demonstrated that RPM can accelerate such computations by up to 2.5 times.</p>