Finite difference simulation of unsteady interactive flows

The development of time-dependent numerical simulations of unsteady interactive flows of an aerodynamic nature is reviewed with emphasis on compressible flows at flight Reynolds numbers and noniterative schemes based on Navier-Stokes equations. The importance of writing the equations in strong conservation-law form for a generalized body-oriented coordinate system is pointed out. The discussion covers time and length scales and numerical methods currently in use. Some computed results are presented and compared with experimental data.