A proposed computational approach could help develop more fuel-efficient aircraft, according to researchers. The method can provide aerodynamic drag data more efficiently during the early stages of aircraft design. This can reduce time needed for extensive wind tunnel testing or large-scale computer simulations.
The team claimed that being able to predict drag accurately at an early design stage helps deliver a design that boosts the fuel efficiency of an aircraft. Reliable early estimates can also reduce the need for extensive wind tunnel testing or large-scale computer simulations.
Called AeroMap, the framework is developed by researchers at the University of Surrey. AeroMap estimates drag for different wing-body configurations operating at speeds close to the speed of sound.
AeroMap provides datasets up to 10 to 100 times faster
In their study, researchers have shown how AeroMap provides datasets up to 10 to 100 times faster than high-fidelity simulations currently on the market, while maintaining good accuracy.
“Our goal was to develop a method that provides reliable transonic aerodynamic predictions for a range of configurations, without the high computational cost of full-scale simulations,” said Dr Rejish Jesudasan, research fellow at the University of Surrey and lead author of the study.
“By providing reliable results earlier in the design process, AeroMap reduces the need for costly redesigns and repeated wind-tunnel testing. It also delivers the level of detail engineers need to refine concepts more efficiently and with greater confidence.”
Approach enables AeroMap to capture the main effects of drag
Based on a viscous-coupled full potential method, AeroMap combines a reduced form of the Navier–Stokes equations that describe airflow with a model of the thin boundary layer of air that moves along an aircraft’s surface.
The research team claimed that this approach enables AeroMap to capture the main effects of drag without the high computing demands of more detailed simulations. As a result, it provides a practical tool for the early stages of aircraft design, when engineers need results that are both reliable and rapid.
Many existing models still rely on empirical methods developed several decades ago. Although these remain widely used, they can be less accurate when applied to modern, high-efficiency wing designs. AeroMap has been validated against NASA wind tunnel data, with results showing close agreement between its predictions and experimental measurements, indicating its suitability for sustainable aircraft development, according to a press release.
Predicting the transonic performance of aircraft configurations
“Accurately predicting the transonic performance of aircraft configurations, during early concept studies, remains a significant challenge,” said Dr Simao Marques, senior lecturer.
“AeroMap combines established aerodynamic principles in a way that improves the reliability of drag predictions during early development, helping engineers make better-informed design decisions.”
Published in Aerospace Science and Technology, the study describes that the Accurate prediction of aerodynamic drag characteristics across a wide range of wing-body configurations is crucial in the early design stages of transonic commercial transport aircraft.
Researchers present the AeroMap framework to rapidly generate aerodynamic performance maps for evaluating both on- and off-design aerodynamic characteristics of wing-body configurations.
The framework’s predictions of drag divergence onset across various wing-body configurations highlights the importance of considering viscous-compressibility interactions and the spanwise progression of shock strength, factors that are not captured by the Korn-Lock-Mason method, according to researchers.
“With computational costs at least one to two orders of magnitude lower than high-fidelity solvers, AeroMap is suitable for configuration trade studies during the early design phase,” said researchers in the study.
link
About the Author
