Towards certification of computational fluid dynamics as numerical experiments for rotorcraft applications

Virtual Engineering (VE), also known as Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE), is necessary in both current operational engineering qualifications and to help reduce the costs of future vertical lift design and analysis. As computational power continues to provide increasing capability to the rotor...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Aeronautical journal 2018-01, Vol.122 (1247), p.104-130
Main Authors: Smith, M.J., Jacobson, K.E., Afman, J.-P.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Accuracy
Aeronautics
Aerospace engineering
Armed forces
Aviation
Certification
Communities
Computational fluid dynamics
Computer simulation
Cost analysis
Engineers
Error detection
Experiments
Flow velocity
Fluid dynamics
Helicopters
Mathematical models
Model-based systems
Physics
Reynolds number
Rotary wing aircraft
RotorVE2016
Simulation
Software
Systems engineering
Turbulence models
Vehicles
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Summary:Virtual Engineering (VE), also known as Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE), is necessary in both current operational engineering qualifications and to help reduce the costs of future vertical lift design and analysis. As computational power continues to provide increasing capability to the rotorcraft engineering community to perform simulations in both real time and off line, it is imperative that the community develop verification and validation protocols and processes to certify these methods so that they can be reliably used to help reduce engineering cost and schedule. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) has become a major Computational Science and Engineering (CSE) tool in the fixed wing and vertical lift communities, but it has not been developed to the point where it is accepted as a replacement for testing in certification of new or existing systems or vehicles. Since the rise of modern CFD in the 1980s, the promise of CFD’s capabilities has been met or exceeded, but its role in certification arguably remains less prominent than projected. The ability to implement transformative technologies further drives the need for CFD in design. To meet CFD’s role in certification, several goals must be met to provide a true “numerical experiment” from which accuracies (error estimates), sensitivities, and consistent application results can be extracted. This paper discusses the progress and direction towards developing CFD strategies for certification.
ISSN:0001-9240
2059-6464
DOI:10.1017/aer.2017.118