Control surface modeling and large-eddy simulation: Enhancing accuracy and efficiency in aerodynamic analysis

Abstract

Over the past few years, the increasingly severe impacts of climate change have driven a growing global concern for environmental protection. Amidst this urgent global concern, the aeronautical industry has come under considerable scrutiny due to its significant emissions footprint. Recognizing the necessity for transformative action, the European Commission has set forth an ambitious vision for the aviation sector up to 2050, which targets drastic reductions in carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions, as well as significant reductions in perceived aircraft noise. To meet such ambitious, the development of alternative fuels, advanced technologies, and novel aircraft designs is imperative. In order to contribute to the conceptualization of new generation aircraft, this work is dedicated to understanding the aerodynamic impact of moving control surfaces using computer simulations. To this end, we have developed numerical methods that not only enable the simulation of configurations with movable control surfaces, but also allow more accurate predictions of turbulence in such aeronautical applications. With such methods, a high-fidelity portrayal of the aerodynamic impact of moving control surfaces can be obtained, which can aid to reduce drag and aerodynamic noise during the design process of novel aircraft.