Fluid Dynamics for Virtual Molecules: An Engineering Guide to the Principles & Assumptions Underpinning Turbulence Modelling. Part 3: Data-Driven Techniques

Abstract

This paper provides an overview of the presentation materials prepared for the AIAA AVIATION 2026 Special Session "Meet the Turbulence Modellers III", organized under the auspices of the Integrated Collaborative Experimentation (ICE) Technical Activity Group 1 (TAG-1). The session, held on June 09, 2026, sought to create a common conceptual framework between turbulence measurers and turbulence modellers in support of advancing verification and validation (V&V) for computational fluid dynamics (CFD). The accompanying slides, titled Fluid Dynamics for Virtual Molecules: An Engineering Guide to the Principles and Assumptions Underpinning Turbulence Modelling (Part II: Data-Driven-Techniques), present an accessible narrative of the foundations and limitations of data-driven techniques for Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) models. This paper summarizes those materials, providing an overview, with the goal of helping engineers and researchers outside the CFD community understand the conceptual basis and scope of modern turbulence models.