Numerical Investigation of the Aerodynamic Behavior of a Generic Light Aircraft

Overview & Synopsis

The present paper summarizes the key findings of a numerical study on the aerodynamic behavior of a generic light aircraft under flow conditions, which are typically associated with spin motions. These conditions include high angles of attack, crosswind and rotational motion. Besides investigating the limits of Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes simulations for this type of conditions, the simulations contribute to a better understanding of existing wind-tunnel data. Furthermore, the influence of wind-tunnel related aspects such as scaling effects are investigated. The comparison between the numerical and experimental results generally shows good agreement regarding global force coefficients and separation behavior. The characteristic behavior with regards to crosswind and rotational motion around the longitudinal wind axis is captured well by the computations. Scaling effects are considerable with the maximum vertical force coefficient increasing by up to ∆C Z,max = 0.25 at real flight Reynolds and Mach number compared to wind-tunnel conditions.