Numerical Simulations For the F-16XL Aircraft Configuration

Numerical simulations of flow around the F-16XL are presented as a contribution to the Cranked Arrow Wing Aerodynamic Project International II (CAWAPI-II). The NASA Tetrahedral Unstructured Software System (TetrUSS) is used to perform numerical simulations. This CFD suite, developed and maintained by NASA Langley Research Center, includes an unstructured grid generation program called VGRID, a postprocessor named POSTGRID, and the flow solver USM3D. The CRISP CFD package is utilized to provide error estimates and grid adaption for verification of USM3D results. A subsonic high angle-of-attack case flight condition (FC) 25 is computed and analyzed. Three turbulence models are used in the calculations: the one-equation Spalart-Allmaras (SA), the two-equation shear stress transport (SST) and the kε turbulence models. Computational results, and surface static pressure profiles are presented and compared with flight data. Solution verification is performed using formal grid refinement studies, the solution of Error Transport Equations, and adaptive mesh refinement. The current study shows that the USM3D solver coupled with CRISP CFD can be used in an engineering environment in predicting vortex-flow physics on a complex configuration at flight Reynolds numbers.