Static Computational Fluid Dynamics simulations around a specialised delta wing

•Determination of feasibility of CFD static simulations.•Changing model dependencies to improve flow characteristics.•Moving a step forward for CFD being a more reliable tool.•Improved reliability to reduce aircraft development cost.•Indications of difficulties in CFD simulations.

The primary aim of this paper is to determine a suitable and reliable model for the full static angle of attack range in Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) applications while determining associated model dependencies. This would allow CFD to be utilised as a more reliable tool in the development of aircraft, reducing dependency on wind tunnel investigations, with a consequent reduction in development costs. The model used in this study is based on a specialised delta wing configuration. The study has been undertaken by incorporating simulation parameters such as mesh resolution, discretisation schemes, turbulence and transition models, time step sizes and the order of the time integration operator. The modelling has been carried out using specialised meshing software, the flow simulation software (TAU) developed by the German Aerospace Agency (DLR), and the graphical interface Tecplot. Findings indicate that current CFD capabilities to model the flight envelope of a configuration are near-sufficient. The findings also show the difficulties in utilising one CFD model to represent the entire angle of attack range and the effect of model dependencies.