Calculation of two dimensional vortex/surface interference using panel methods

Abstract

The application of panel methods to the calculation of vortex/surface interference characteristics in two dimensional flow was studied over a range of situations starting with the simple case of a vortex above a plane and proceeding to the case of vortex separation from a prescribed point on a thick section. Low order and high order panel methods were examined, but the main factor influencing the accuracy of the solution was the distance between control stations in relation to the height of the vortex above the surface. Improvements over the basic solutions were demonstrated using a technique based on subpanels and an applied doublet distribution.