In support of the Columbia Accident Investigation, inviscid computations of the aerodynamic characteristics for various Shuttle Orbiter damage scenarios were performed using the Felisa unstructured CFD solver. Computed delta aerodynamics were compared with the reconstructed delta aerodynamics in order to postulate a progression of damage through the flight trajectory. By performing computations...

Accurate simulation of the aeromechanics of helicopters poses significant challenges. Satisfactory agreement between the predictions of numerical models and experimental data requires that the model successfully capture a broad range of complex physical interactions between the aerodynamics and the mechanics of the system. In most practical cases, the physical processes at work cannot be determ...

Plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) technology will provide substantial reduction in petroleum consumption as demonstrated in previous studies. Platform engineering steps including, reduced mass, improved engine efficiency, relaxed performance, improved aerodynamics and rolling resistance can impact both vehicle efficiency and design. Simulations have been completed to quantify the relative ...

Feature-detection methods are applied to drive Cartesian-based adaptive mesh re nement for improved vortex resolution in aerodynamics ow elds. Several approaches such as the Q-criterion, the eigenvalues of velocity gradient tensor and the identi cation of local pressure minima are considered. Speci c attention is given to the automation of the renement process so that it is applicable to a wide...

The objective of this study is to minimize the drag coefficient of aerodynamics bodies for a specified design Reynolds number regime. With the aerodynamics model the gradient of the objective function (drag coefficient) cannot be determined analytically. Furthermore, it is expected that the objective function is multi-modal, i.e. it shows more than one minimum. Therefore, the optimization algor...

Aerodynamic forces on bridges are commonly separated into static, self-excited, and buffeting force components. By delving into the relationships among force descriptors for static, self-excited, and buffeting components, novel perspectives are developed to unveil the subtle underlying complexities in modeling aerodynamic forces. Formulations for airfoil sections and those based on quasisteady ...

The wing of missile can be considered as an effective factor for determination lift to drag ratio. However, there are few studies that investigate effect on aerodynamics. Therefore, the purpose this study is indicate aerodynamics and optimize geometry enhancement aerodynamic efficiency. designed tail-fin configuration selected from a previous which contains experimental data. In beginning study...

An unsteady aerodynamics model of a flexible unmanned air vehicle is presented in this paper. The unsteady aerodynamics results from structural vibrations of the flexible airframe which affect the airflow around it. The doublet lattice method, which is a potential flow based panel method, is used for obtaining the basic unsteady aerodynamics model. It gives the pressure distribution on a liftin...

The creation of an integrated rotorcraft conceptual and preliminary design framework at DLR involved the development of geometry and fuselage aerodynamics modules at the Institute of Aerodynamics and Flow Technology. After a short revision of the RIDE rotorcraft design environment architecture this paper focuses on the implementation of these disciplinary modules. The aim of the geometry module...

The aerodynamics of micro air vehicles (operating at the chord Reynolds number of 10 5 or below) is substantially influenced by the unsteadiness of the wind gust and the aircraft’s light weight. In this effort, we investigate the active flow control of the dielectric barrier discharge actuator for flows around the SD7003 airfoil, with the chord Reynolds number of 6×10 4 , to enhance our underst...