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The work is dedicated to investigation of possibility to increase the efficiency of solving external aerodynamic problems. Methodical questions of using locally-adaptive grids and wall functions for numerical simulation of turbulent flows past flying vehicles are studied. Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes equations are integrated. The equations are closed by standard $k–\varepsilon$ turbulence model. Subsonic turbulent flow of perfect compressible viscous gas past airfoil RAE 2822 is considered. Calculations are performed in CFD software FlowVision. The efficiency of using the technology of smoothing diffusion fluxes and the Bradshaw formula for turbulent viscosity is analyzed. These techniques are regarded as means of increasing the accuracy of solving aerodynamic problems on locally-adaptive grids. The obtained results show that using the technology of smoothing diffusion fluxes essentially decreases the discrepancy between computed and experimental values of the drag coefficient. In addition, the distribution of the skin friction coefficient over the curvilinear surface of the airfoil becomes more regular. These results indicate that the given technology is an effective way to increase the accuracy of calculations on locally-adaptive grids. The Bradshaw formula for the dynamic coefficient of turbulent viscosity is traditionally used in the SST $k–\omega$ turbulence model. The possibility to implement it in the standard $k–\varepsilon$ turbulence model is investigated in the present article. The calculations show that this formula provides good agreement of integral aerodynamic characteristics and the distribution of the pressure coefficient over the airfoil surface with experimental data. Besides that, it essentially augments the accuracy of simulation of the flow in the boundary layer and in the wake. On the other hand, using the Bradshaw formula in the simulation of the air flow past airfoil RAE 2822 leads to under-prediction of the skin friction coefficient. For this reason, the conclusion is made that practical use of the Bradshaw formula requires its preliminary validation and calibration on reliable experimental data available for the considered flows. The results of the work as a whole show that using the technologies discussed in numerical solution of external aerodynamic problems on locally-adaptive grids together with wall functions provides the computational accuracy acceptable for quick assessment of the aerodynamic characteristics of a flying vehicle. So, one can deduce that the FlowVision software is an effective tool for preliminary design studies, for conceptual design, and for aerodynamic shape optimization.

The work is devoted to the development of a computational algorithm of the Cartesian grid method for studying the interaction of a shock wave with moving bodies with a piecewise linear boundary. The interest in such problems is connected with direct numerical simulation of two-phase media flows. The effect of the particle shape can be important in the problem of dust layer dispersion behind a passing shock wave. Experimental data on the coefficient of aerodynamic drag of non-spherical particles are practically absent.

Mathematical model is based on the two-dimensional Euler equations, which are solved in a region with varying boundaries. The defining system of equations is integrated using an explicit scheme and the Cartesian grid method. The computational algorithm at the time integration step includes: determining the step value, calculating the dynamics of the body movement (determining the force and moment acting on the body; determining the linear and angular velocities of the body; calculating the new coordinates of the body), calculating the gas parameters. At each time step, all cells are divided into two classes – external (inside the body or intersected by its boundaries) and internal (completely filled with gas). The solution of the Euler equations is constructed only in the internal ones. The main difficulty is the calculation of the numerical flux through the edges common to the internal and external cells intersected by the moving boundaries of the bodies. To calculate this flux, we use a two-wave approximation for solving the Riemann problem and the Steger-Warming scheme. A detailed description of the numerical algorithm is presented.

The efficiency of the algorithm is demonstrated on the problem of lifting a cylinder with a base in the form of a circle, ellipse and rectangle behind a passing shock wave. A circular cylinder test was considered in many papers devoted to the immersed boundary methods development. A qualitative and quantitative analysis of the trajectory of the cylinder center mass is carried out on the basis of comparison with the results of simulations presented in eight other works. For a cylinder with a base in the form of an ellipse and a rectangle, a satisfactory agreement was obtained on the dynamics of its movement and rotation in comparison with the available few literary sources. Grid convergence of the results is investigated for the rectangle. It is shown that the relative error of mass conservation law fulfillment decreases with a linear rate.

Modern approach to modernization of the experimental techniques involves design of mathematical models of the wind-tunnel, which are also referred to as Electronic of Digital Wind-Tunnels. They are meant to supplement experimental data with computational analysis. Using Electronic Wind-Tunnels is supposed to provide accurate information on aerodynamic performance of an aircraft basing on a set of experimental data, to obtain agreement between data from different test facilities and perform comparison between computational results for flight conditions and data with the presence of support system and test section.

Completing this task requires some preliminary research, which involves extensive wind-tunnel testing as well as RANS-based computational research with the use of supercomputer technologies. At different stages of computational investigation one may have to model not only the aircraft itself but also the wind-tunnel test section and the model support system. Modelling such complex geometries will inevitably result in quite complex vertical and separated flows one will have to simulate. Another problem is that boundary layer transition is often present in wind-tunnel testing due to quite small model scales and therefore low Reynolds numbers.

In the current article the first stage of the Electronic Wind-Tunnel design program is covered. This stage involves computational investigation of aerodynamic characteristics of the generic flying-wing UAV model previously tested in TsAGI T-102 wind-tunnel. Since this stage is preliminary the model was simulated without taking test-section and support system geometry into account. The boundary layer was considered to be fully turbulent.

For the current research FlowVision computational code was used because of its automatic grid generation feature and stability of the solver when simulating complex flows. A two-equation k–ε turbulence model was used with special wall functions designed to properly capture flow separation. Computed lift force and drag force coefficients for different angles-of-attack were compared to the experimental data.

The gas-dynamics approach to the calculation of the aerodynamic characteristics of modern aircraft makes it necessary to consider the complex and extensive set of tasks requiring the development of new methods for their solution. Drag coefficient for two bodies in subsonic and transonic flow regimes was calculated using ANSYS Fluent software. Numeric solution and results of the experiment are in good agreement; calculation error does not exceed 3 %.