Automated Generation of Structured Meshes for Aerodynamic Analysis with Panel Codes

Abstract

Aerodynamic analyses play a crucial role in the design and evaluation cycle of modern aircraft. In this paper, a Python-based methodology for mesh generation for aerodynamic panel codes is developed based on geometry libraries (TiGL, Open CASCADE) and utilizing a standardized database format (CPACS). The aim is to automatically create high-quality surface meshes for simulations with a panel code (NEWPAN). The developed methods enable fast and reproducible mesh generation, which can be flexibly adapted to different aircraft configurations and allows integration with MDAO processes. Uniform mesh quality is achieved through parameterizable control of the panel distribution. Distributions over the wings represent the most important area and can be configured individually. This discretization is then transferred to the rest of the aircraft geometry to ensure a clean transition between wings and fuselage. A comparison of simulation results from different panel codes (NEWPAN, Flow5) verifies the quality of the generated meshes. The results confirm the fundamental suitability of the methods developed for automated mesh generation and show the potential for integration into MDAO processes.