Reduced-Order Modeling of Steady Aerodynamics for 2D Store Separation Analysis

Abstract

We report on a novel empirical reduced-order model (ROM) approach to efficiently simulate the aerodynamics of two nearby bodies that can have a wide range of relative position and orientation. The method is demonstrated for a pair of two-dimensional slender bodies, but is potentially applicable to external store separation analysis where the aircraft may experience a range of freestream Mach numbers and angles of attack. The entire flow domain is decomposed into two sub-domains. The smaller sub-domain typically extends for some distance below the wing to cover the possible range of positions of the store beneath it where it is still influenced by the wing. The remaining flow domain is typically much larger, and the aerodynamics here are approximately modelled using proper orthogonal decomposition modes and a ROM that minimizes conserved flux residues. The smaller sub-domain has to be solved with usual CFD methods like RANS. The two solutions are iteratively matched at the interface of the two sub-domains to arrive at the overall solution -a method that we term domain-decomposed ROM. Results presented here demonstrate encouraging agreement with the CFD simulation of the full flow, at about one-fourth of the computational cost.