A CSM-CFD Methodology Applied to the Design of a Cryogenic WT Model

Abstract The Aero-structural coupled analysis presented in this work represents an important part of the PRODIGE project, whose main purpose is the prediction of aerodynamics and hinge moment loads of the aileron of a scale model of business jet at transonic Mach numbers and flight Reynolds number. More in details, this methodology supports the design activities of the cryogenic wind-tunnel (WT) model to be tested in the European Transonic Wind tunnel (ETW). The need to implement such a kind of analysis comes from the requirement to take into account the “pure aeroelastic effect” during experimental tests and need to understand the effect of the WT model flexibility on the control surface load prediction, prior to and in parallel with the balance design. CFD evaluations are performed on the whole model, while a static Fluid-Structure-Interface (FSI) procedure is set up and, only, applied to the wing and aileron of the model. The FSI cycle is made of two blocks: a CFD evaluation part and a CSM evaluation part. Both modules are coupled within an iterative loop, where information are exchanged between them. Two angles of incidence are taken into account, i.e. the lowest value (α=-3°) and the highest one (α=6°). Results will be compared in terms of global aerodynamic forces and pressure coefficient distributions. Moreover the new deformed shapes derived from the application of both approaches will be compared with the original one.