Project Title:

Fast Prediction Method for Transonic Aerodynamics

94-1	02.04	5412		

Fast Prediction Method for Transonic Aerodynamics

Abstract:

In the design of modern aircraft it is essential to incorporate as 
much information as possible in the conceptual design phase; 
decisions made in this phase can "lock in" as much as 90% of the 
costs of the project. It is becoming increasingly important to 
incorporate unsteady aerodynamic criteria into the design at an 
early stage; this is the topic in the Solicitation. There may be 
many iterations of the design and this has led to the need for 
modeling tools that are accurate and computationally fast. This 
proposal is concerned with the fast prediction of the loads in 
unsteady transonic flow. Frequently the transonic flow regime is 
where the most critical unsteady loads occur. The innovation 
proposed in Phase 1 is the development of a method that allows 
sufficiently fast estimation of the aerodynamic loads for 
conceptual design. This technique will be coupled in Phase 2 with 
other techniques developed by the author and others to provide a 
comprehensive prediction capability that can be used for conceptual 
or preliminary design.

If successful the research will lead to the development of 
commercially viable software for the prediction of unsteady 
transonic flow. This method will be sufficiently fast for use in an 
optimizer; there is a market for this type of product in the 
aerospace industry.

Key Words

NWING Inc.
427 Monroe Drive
Palo Alto, Ca. 94306