Resolving Pitching Airfoil Transonic Aerodynamics by Computational Fluid Dynamics Data Modeling1

Abstract

A detailed numerical study of harmonically pitching airfoils of NACA00 series is presented here. Based on the analysis of the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) results, a hypothesis is made that a simple data model can capture the dynamics of the airfoils in pitch. The data model is based on the cl−α (lift coefficient–angle of attack) hysteresis loops that retain generic geometrical characteristics for a wide range of reduced frequency, k, encountered in flutter in transonic flows for all the NACA00 airfoils considered. The model was trained on a subset of the considered NACA00 airfoils and then tested on the remaining NACA00 set, for a subset of the reduced frequencies. The model predictions of the cl−α hysteresis loops for the test set are shown to be in excellent agreement with the CFD results for the range of k typical of transonic flutter. The data model offers a paradigm shift in the prediction of transonic flow dynamics of pitching airfoils and will guide the development of a new transfer function that will be incorporated in a new aeroelastic framework leading to an appropriate transonic flutter model for use in the development of future aircraft.