Model Deformation Corrections of NASA Common Research Model Using Computational Fluid Dynamics

• Published in: Journal of aircraft 2016-07, Vol.53 (4), p.951-961
• Main Authors: Yasue, Kanako, Ueno, Makoto
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aerodynamics; Computational fluid dynamics; Configurations; Deformation effects; Drag coefficients; Fluid dynamics; Fluid flow; Japanese space program; Reynolds number; Static models; Support systems; Transonic wind tunnels
• ISSN: 0021-8669; 1533-3868
• DOI: 10.2514/1.C033445

Computational fluid dynamics-aided wind-tunnel data corrections for the static model deformation effect of the NASA-Common Research Model are performed for wind-tunnel data obtained at the 2  m×2  m Transonic Wind Tunnel of Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, the National Transonic Facility, and the European Transonic Wind Tunnel. Although it is important to use the same configuration when comparing wind-tunnel data obtained at various facilities, this has not yet been performed with an appropriate validation. In this paper, the model deformation effects are estimated from the difference between the computational fluid dynamics results for a designed configuration and that for a deformed configuration considering support systems. Initially, the techniques for the model deformation correction are validated with two sets of National Transonic Facility wind-tunnel data at a Reynolds number of 20×106 with different dynamic pressures. Then, the validated model deformation corrections are performed on the wind-tunnel data obtained at the Transonic Wind Tunnel, National Transonic Facility, and European Transonic Wind Tunnel. Differences in the drag coefficients among the three sets of wind-tunnel data fall within about 10 drag counts for the model deformation corrections and the Reynolds number corrections applied to the Transonic Wind Tunnel data to align the Reynolds number to 5×106.