Adaptive Meshing of Ship Air-Wake Flowfields
Abstract
Numerical simulations of aircraft landing on a carrier are difficult due to complex geometry and complex flow physics. The flowfield is very unsteady and chaotic and adequate mesh resolution is crucial to a successful simulation. The goal of the proposed research is to deliver enhanced mesh adaptation capabilities that account for the chaotic unsteady nature of the flowfield about an aircraft in the landing approach path. Similar work was published by Shipman, et. al. [Shipman, Arunajatesan, Cavallo, Polsky] The objectives of the research are to explore three distinct mesh adaptation methods to handle the dynamic aspect of this case. The three methods include a hierarchical-Cartesian hexahedral method, an all-tetrahedral mesh method and a physics-based point placement/meshless method. The hierarchical method will subdivide cube-shaped elements to resolve geometry and gradients of user-selected adaptation functions, such as pressure or Mach number. The tetrahedral method is a traditional unstructured mesh method that incorporates adaptation through node movement to resolve gradients of the adaptation function. The third method is a meshless method that uses a physics-based force model to move nodes around to resolve the geometry and flowfield. The initial phase of the research conducted the first year developed steady-state analysis procedures for each method, with appropriate mesh adaptation capabilities. A description of the steady-state version of the three computer codes (TetFlow, OctFlow and PointFlow) is described in this report. The outcome of the research will provide insight into efficient and robust approaches for adaptive meshing for dynamic simulation of aircraft landings in the presence of unsteady carrier flowfield. Research is conducted assuming inviscid flow, but approaches will be applicable to viscous simulations with modifications.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Oct 21, 2014
- Accession Number
- ADA613622
Entities
People
- Steve Karman
Organizations
- University of Tennessee system