Overset grid technology development at NASA Ames Research Center

The idea of overset grids arose from the need to model complex multi-component systems where an optimum body-fitted grid is used for each component. One of the main motivations behind the overset grid development work at NASA originated from the requirement to perform simulations involving multiple bodies in relative motion. This article traces the development of overset grid technologies at NASA Ames Research Center, including: data format and visualization software; and algorithms and software tools for surface grid generation, volume grid generation, domain connectivity, forces and moments calculation, and flow solution computation. Examples of the use of overset grids for NASA aerospace applications are given, and current and future work to improve overset grid technologies are summarized.