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Comparison of flight test data with a computational fluid dynamics model of a Scottish Aviation Bulldog aircraft

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 January 2016

N. J. Lawson ,
N. Salmon ,
J. E. Gautrey  and
R. Bailey
N. J. Lawson*
Affiliation:
National Flying Laboratory Centre, Cranfield University, Bedfordshire, UK
N. Salmon
Affiliation:
National Flying Laboratory Centre, Cranfield University, Bedfordshire, UK
J. E. Gautrey
Affiliation:
National Flying Laboratory Centre, Cranfield University, Bedfordshire, UK
R. Bailey
Affiliation:
National Flying Laboratory Centre, Cranfield University, Bedfordshire, UK
*
n.lawson@cranfield.ac.uk
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Abstract

The following paper presents detailed aerodynamic data of a Scottish Aviation Bulldog light aircraft. The data is taken from the pre-stall region of the aircraft flight envelope through two flight test methods and from a geometrically accurate computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model of the full scale aircraft, which was meshed in Ansys ICEM CFD and solved in Ansys Fluent. The fidelity of the CFD model was achieved by development of a CATIA solid model with surfaces matching a spatial point cloud of the aircraft taken using a 3D laser scanner. Following a CFD verification process, a 3·4m hybrid mesh with a Spalart-Allmaras (SA) turbulence model was found to give the best overall lift and drag characteristics. Further detailed comparisons with the glide flight test data showed the CFD drag polar to have 63% lower zero lift drag, although this discrepancy was related to the simplification of the original CATIA surface model, which excluded the undercarriage, aerials and other protuberance drags. Inclusion of estimates of these sources of drag resulted in a match in zero lift drag to within 15% and a maximum lift to drag of 10:1 which was within 11% of the glide flight test result. The remaining drag discrepancy is attributed to other effects including trim drag and the surface finish of the actual aircraft.

Type
Research Article
Information
The Aeronautical Journal , Volume 117 , Issue 1198 , December 2013 , pp. 1273 - 1291
Copyright
Copyright © Royal Aeronautical Society 2013 

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