Numerical investigation on aerodynamic performance of a standard model CHN-T1 using an unstructured flow solver

Nowadays, high-fidelity computational fluid dynamics (CFD) technology plays an increasingly important role in aerodynamic shape design and large transport aircraft optimization. Despite the wide application of Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) flow solvers to aerodynamic performance analysis for complex aircraft configurations in transonic flows, there is still a strong need to verify these solvers. An unstructured RANS solver TNS is used to predict both the cruise performance and buffeting-characteristics of a standard transport model CHN-T1, which is released by the 1st aeronautics CFD credibility workshop (AeCW-1) organizing committee. The computed results are compared with the wind-tunnel experimental data. The influence of mesh size and turbulence model on the cruising performance prediction is studied and the effects of support interference, and static aeroelastic deformation on the buffeting characteristics computation are analyzed. The results show that the predicted aerodynamic performance including lift-to-drag ratio at the cruising condition is in very good agreement with experimental data, with all the values located within the error bar of experimental data. This good agreement indicates the reliability and accuracy of the TNS solver for the design and aerodynamic performance analysis of large transport aircrafts.