Aerodynamics Simulators

How to Use

1. Select aircraft type (fixed-wing, rotorcraft, or bluff body) from the category filter dropdown
2. Input geometric parameters: wing planform area (m²), chord length (m), angle of attack (degrees), and Mach number
3. Specify fluid properties: air density (kg/m³), dynamic viscosity (Pa·s), and freestream velocity (m/s)
4. Run computation to retrieve lift coefficient (CL), drag coefficient (CD), and resultant forces in Newtons
5. Export results as CSV for boundary layer analysis or pressure coefficient distributions

Worked Example

For a regional transport aircraft wing at cruise: planform area = 122 m², mean aerodynamic chord = 6.5 m, angle of attack = 3.2°, Mach = 0.78, air density = 0.412 kg/m³ (35,000 ft altitude), velocity = 235 m/s. The simulator outputs CL = 0.51, CD = 0.0245, generating lift force = 298 kN and drag = 14.2 kN using incompressible correction factors and shock-expansion theory for transonic flow.

Practical Notes

1. Use Reynolds number (ρVL/μ) validation: typical commercial aircraft operate 25–90 million; low-Re UAVs require laminar separation corrections unavailable in inviscid solvers
2. Compressibility effects dominate above Mach 0.3; activate Prandtl-Mach correction or Laitone rule for M > 0.5 to avoid CL overprediction
3. Bluff-body category (vehicles, buildings) ignores attached-flow assumptions; CD varies 0.2–1.5 depending on Reynolds number and separation topology
4. Ground effect reduces induced drag by 30–50% within one wingspan altitude; toggle ground-proximity mode for landing/takeoff analysis