TsAGI is improving numerical and experimental methods
18 November 2014
The Central AeroHydrodynamic Institute named after Prof. N.E. Zhukovsky is conducting tests of a passenger aircraft model in the transonic wind tunnel within the project “Verification” implemented by the order of the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation. The research aims at improving computational and experimental methodologies. As a part of the project, TsAGI scientists verify and adapt numerical methods used for calculation of aerodynamic and strength characteristics of aircraft through careful comparisons of computational and experimental data.
To check the quality of computation of aerodynamic and strength characteristics, a model of a well-known passenger aircraft, the SSJ100 is studied. It passed the entire set of studies at the preliminary stage. Current tests contain fundamentally new elements that will increase computation accuracy. The results of the work will allow TsAGI to perform mathematical modeling with simultaneous consideration of aerodynamics effects and strength of the aircraft placed within a wind tunnel.
“The project attempts to answer the important question faced by the management of the industry and actively discussed within the scientific community: “Should we transfer the EU and US experience of cryogenic tube tests to Russia?” Within the framework of the “Verification” project, TsAGI employees joined forces with colleagues from Europe and the United States (Project ESWIRP) and actively participated in the testing of the CRM model (Common Research Model, NASA) at cryogenic and ambient conditions. Also, a new program for calculating the nitrogen flow of aerodynamic models at low temperatures was developed with active participation of RAS Corresponding Member V.Ya. Neyland, and numerous comparisons of computations and experimental data were made. Similar calculations were carried out to determine the effect of temperature on elastic properties of the models. “The resulting data after processing will allow TsAGI to better answer the question of whether Russia needs a cryogenic wind tunnel, ” explained Sergei Bosniakov, Ph.D. in engineering, head of the research project and deputy chief of TsAGI’s department.
The issue of improvement of computational and experimental methodologies remains relevant to this day. Primary research efforts are aimed at introducing computational methodologies into the process cycle of an experiment. In some cases this has been done; the results of wind tunnel tests are adjusted through preliminary calculations to take into account the effect of supporting devices and tunnel walls. Still some problems remain to be solved, for example, studying the effect of low temperatures on the results of an experiment.