RCA: Modeling Tools for CLmax Prediction

Advanced computational simulation capabilities not only enable reductions in ground-based and in-flight testing requirements, but also provide added physical insight, enable superior designs at reduced cost and risk, and open up new frontiers in aerospace vehicle design and performance. The NASA sponsored CFD Vision 2030 Study, while highlighting the accomplishments made in past several decades, brought out several challenges and deficiencies in the computational technology and developed a research roadmap for advancing the state-of-the-art required for enabling NASA missions in aeronautics and space applications. The new technical challenge follows the recommendations of the vision study and aims to conduct research in maturing eddy-resolving modeling tools, to enhance their accuracy and efficiency, and demonstrating the tools for application to the prediction of aircraft maximum lift (C_Lmax). Research will focus on improving turbulent wall models, computational techniques, grid adaptation and high-performance computing to meet the challenge of increasing the speed of computation. Experimental validation will be a critical part of the research portfolio. The goal is to achieve C_Lmax prediction accuracy of the same level as in aircraft certification flight tests. This will require comparison of various modeling approaches against experimental results from the planned wind tunnel tests, downselecting an approach, further maturing the technology and validating against flight test data.

This technical challenge is aimed at further research in maturing eddy-resolving modeling tools, in their accuracy and efficiency, and demonstrating the tools for application to the prediction of aircraft maximum lift (CLmax). The goal is to achieve CLmax prediction accuracy of the same level as in aircraft certification flight tests. This will require comparison of various modeling approaches against experimental results from the planned wind tunnel tests, down selecting an approach, further maturing the technology and validating against flight test data. Advances in computational fluid dynamics (CFD) over the last several decades has fundamentally changed the aerospace design process. Advanced simulation capabilities not only enable reductions in ground-based and in-flight testing requirements, but also provide added physical insight, enable superior designs at reduced cost and risk, and open up new frontiers in aerospace vehicle design and performance. The NASA sponsored CFD Vision 2030 Study, while highlighting these accomplishments, brought out several challenges and deficiencies in the computational technology and developed a research roadmap for advancing the state-of-the-art required for enabling NASA missions in aeronautics and space applications. Based on the research completed in May 2018, it became clear that unsteady flow simulation capability is needed for expanding the role of CFD across the entire flight envelope to enable design of future advanced aircraft and space vehicles, and that capability will be the primary outcome of this technical challenge.

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