Simulation of the Transonic Truss-Braced Wing High-Lift Configuration at Mach 0.20 using USM3D-Mixed Element Solver

Numerical simulations for the high-lift configuration of the Transonic Truss-Braced Wing are carried out using USM3D-ME with Unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes turbulence models at a Mach Number of 0.2 and a chord Reynolds number of 0.98x106. Results from numerical simulations are compared against experiments carried out in the 14-by 22-Foot Subsonic Wind Tunnel at the NASA Langley Research Center. Results indicate that the simulations are in close agreement with experiments for low angles of attack. However, significant discrepancies between experiments and simulations are observed at high angles of attack near the stall region. The largest deviation from experiments occurs outboard of the strut-wing intersection, where flow separation is observed. It is concluded that although industry-standard RANS models are able to predict flow features associated with a high-lift configuration with some accuracy, improved turbulence models with scale-resolving capabilities should be considered, especially in the stall and post-stall region.