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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 19 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1998

Multigrid Strategies for Viscous Flow Solvers on Anisotropic Unstructured Meshes

Unstructured multigrid techniques for relieving the stiffness associated with high-Reynolds number viscous flow simulations on extremely stretched grids are investigated. One approach consists of employing a semi-coarsening or directional-coarsening technique, based on the directions of strong coupling within the mesh, in order to construct more optimal coarse grid levels. An alternate approach is developed which employs directional implicit smoothing with regular fully coarsened multigrid levels. The directional implicit smoothing is obtained by constructing implicit lines in the unstructured mesh based on the directions of strong coupling. Both approaches yield large increases in convergence rates over the traditional explicit full-coarsening multigrid algorithm. However, maximum benefits are achieved by combining the two approaches in a coupled manner into a single algorithm. An order of magnitude increase in convergence rate over the traditional explicit full-coarsening algorithm is demonstrated, and convergence rates for high-Reynolds number viscous flows which are independent of the grid aspect ratio are obtained. Further acceleration is provided by incorporating low-Mach-number preconditioning techniques, and a Newton-GMRES strategy which employs the multigrid scheme as a preconditioner. The compounding effects of these various techniques on speed of convergence is documented through several example test cases.

Movriplis, Dimitri J.↗
NASA NTRS2018

A Qualitative Study on the Effects of Mesh Guideline Modification for Unstructured Mesh Generation of the NASA High Lift Common Research Model (HL-CRM)

As part of the 1st Geometry and Mesh Generation Workshop, unstructured tetrahedral and unstructured hybrid Computational Fluid Dynamics meshes were generated according to the meshing guidelines supplied by the 3rd High Lift Prediction Workshop. During this process, it was noted that application of some meshing guidelines became a bottleneck in the process and negatively impacted the quality of the meshes. A study is performed to compare the FUN3D simulation from the baseline medium-resolution workshop unstructured mesh with those on meshes resulting from guideline variations to the baseline. Recommendations on the elimination or reduction of meshing guidelines for high lift aerodynamic cases like the High Lift Common Research Model are based on the resulting data.

Jones, William T.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Euler and Navier-Stokes computations for two-dimensional geometries using unstructured meshes

A general purpose unstructured mesh solver for steady-state two-dimensional inviscid and viscous flows is described. The efficiency and accuracy of the method are enhanced by the simultaneous use of adaptive meshing and an unstructured multigrid technique. A method for generating highly stretched triangulations in regions of viscous flow is outlined, and a procedure for implementing an algebraic turbulence model on unstructured meshes is described. Results are shown for external and internal inviscid flows and for turbulent viscous flow over a multi-element airfoil configuration.

Mavriplis, D. J.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Euler and Navier-Stokes computations for airfoil geometries using unstructured meshes

A general purpose unstructured mesh solver for steady-state two-dimensional inviscid and viscous flows is described. The efficiency and accuracy of the method are enhanced by the simultaneous use of adaptive meshing and an unstructured multigrid technique. A method for generating highly stretched triangulations in regions of viscous flow is outlined, and a procedure for implementing an algebraic turbulence model on unstructured meshes is described. Results are shown for external and internal inviscid flows and for turbulent viscous flow over a multi-element airfoil configuration.

Mavriplis, D. J.↗
NASA NTRS1999

On Multi-Dimensional Unstructured Mesh Adaption

Anisotropic unstructured mesh adaption is developed for a truly multi-dimensional upwind fluctuation splitting scheme, as applied to scalar advection-diffusion. The adaption is performed locally using edge swapping, point insertion/deletion, and nodal displacements. Comparisons are made versus the current state of the art for aggressive anisotropic unstructured adaption, which is based on a posteriori error estimates. Demonstration of both schemes to model problems, with features representative of compressible gas dynamics, show the present method to be superior to the a posteriori adaption for linear advection. The performance of the two methods is more similar when applied to nonlinear advection, with a difference in the treatment of shocks. The a posteriori adaption can excessively cluster points to a shock, while the present multi-dimensional scheme tends to merely align with a shock, using fewer nodes. As a consequence of this alignment tendency, an implementation of eigenvalue limiting for the suppression of expansion shocks is developed for the multi-dimensional distribution scheme. The differences in the treatment of shocks by the adaption schemes, along with the inherently low levels of artificial dissipation in the fluctuation splitting solver, suggest the present method is a strong candidate for applications to compressible gas dynamics.

Wood, William A.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Multigrid techniques for unstructured meshes

An overview of current multigrid techniques for unstructured meshes is given. The basic principles of the multigrid approach are first outlined. Application of these principles to unstructured mesh problems is then described, illustrating various different approaches, and giving examples of practical applications. Advanced multigrid topics, such as the use of algebraic multigrid methods, and the combination of multigrid techniques with adaptive meshing strategies are dealt with in subsequent sections. These represent current areas of research, and the unresolved issues are discussed. The presentation is organized in an educational manner, for readers familiar with computational fluid dynamics, wishing to learn more about current unstructured mesh techniques.

Mavriplis, D. J.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Implicit solvers for unstructured meshes

Implicit methods for unstructured mesh computations are developed and tested. The approximate system which arises from the Newton-linearization of the nonlinear evolution operator is solved by using the preconditioned generalized minimum residual technique. These different preconditioners are investigated: the incomplete LU factorization (ILU), block diagonal factorization, and the symmetric successive over-relaxation (SSOR). The preconditioners have been optimized to have good vectorization properties. The various methods are compared over a wide range of problems. Ordering of the unknowns, which affects the convergence of these sparse matrix iterative methods, is also investigated. Results are presented for inviscid and turbulent viscous calculations on single and multielement airfoil configurations using globally and adaptively generated meshes.

Venkatakrishnan, V.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Unstructured mesh algorithms for aerodynamic calculations

The use of unstructured mesh techniques for solving complex aerodynamic flows is discussed. The principle advantages of unstructured mesh strategies, as they relate to complex geometries, adaptive meshing capabilities, and parallel processing are emphasized. The various aspects required for the efficient and accurate solution of aerodynamic flows are addressed. These include mesh generation, mesh adaptivity, solution algorithms, convergence acceleration, and turbulence modeling. Computations of viscous turbulent two-dimensional flows and inviscid three-dimensional flows about complex configurations are demonstrated. Remaining obstacles and directions for future research are also outlined.

Mavriplis, D. J.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Unstructured mesh algorithms for aerodynamic calculations

The use of unstructured mesh techniques for solving complex aerodynamic flows is discussed. The principle advantages of unstructured mesh strategies, as they relate to complex geometries, adaptive meshing capabilities, and parallel processing are emphasized. The various aspects required for the efficient and accurate solution of aerodynamic flows are addressed. These include mesh generation, mesh adaptivity, solution algorithms, convergence acceleration, and turbulence modeling. Computations of viscous turbulent two-dimensional flows and inviscid three-dimensional flows about complex configurations are demonstrated. Remaining obstacles and directions for future research are also outlined.

Mavriplis, D. J.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Unstructured mesh generation and adaptivity

An overview of current unstructured mesh generation and adaptivity techniques is given. Basic building blocks taken from the field of computational geometry are first described. Various practical mesh generation techniques based on these algorithms are then constructed and illustrated with examples. Issues of adaptive meshing and stretched mesh generation for anisotropic problems are treated in subsequent sections. The presentation is organized in an education manner, for readers familiar with computational fluid dynamics, wishing to learn more about current unstructured mesh techniques.

Mavriplis, D. J.↗
NASA NTRS1994

A three dimensional multigrid Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes solver for unstructured meshes

A three-dimensional unstructured mesh Reynolds averaged Navier-Stokes solver is described. Turbulence is simulated using a single field-equation model. Computational overheads are minimized through the use of a single edge-based data-structure, and efficient multigrid solution technique, and the use of multi-tasking on shared memory multi-processors. The accuracy and efficiency of the code are evaluated by computing two-dimensional flows in three dimensions and comparing with results from a previously validated two-dimensional code which employs the same solution algorithm. The feasibility of computing three-dimensional flows on grids of several million points in less than two hours of wall clock time is demonstrated.

Mavriplis, D. J.↗
NASA NTRS2008

Rotor Airloads Prediction Using Unstructured Meshes and Loose CFD/CSD Coupling

The FUN3D unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes solver for unstructured grids has been modified to allow prediction of trimmed rotorcraft airloads. The trim of the rotorcraft and the aeroelastic deformation of the rotor blades are accounted for via loose coupling with the CAMRAD II rotorcraft computational structural dynamics code. The set of codes is used to analyze the HART-II Baseline, Minimum Noise and Minimum Vibration test conditions. The loose coupling approach is found to be stable and convergent for the cases considered. Comparison of the resulting airloads and structural deformations with experimentally measured data is presented. The effect of grid resolution and temporal accuracy is examined. Rotorcraft airloads prediction presents a very substantial challenge for Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). Not only must the unsteady nature of the flow be accurately modeled, but since most rotorcraft blades are not structurally stiff, an accurate simulation must account for the blade structural dynamics. In addition, trim of the rotorcraft to desired thrust and moment targets depends on both aerodynamic loads and structural deformation, and vice versa. Further, interaction of the fuselage with the rotor flow field can be important, so that relative motion between the blades and the fuselage must be accommodated. Thus a complete simulation requires coupled aerodynamics, structures and trim, with the ability to model geometrically complex configurations. NASA has recently initiated a Subsonic Rotary Wing (SRW) Project under the overall Fundamental Aeronautics Program. Within the context of SRW are efforts aimed at furthering the state of the art of high-fidelity rotorcraft flow simulations, using both structured and unstructured meshes. Structured-mesh solvers have an advantage in computation speed, but even though remarkably complex configurations may be accommodated using the overset grid approach, generation of complex structured-mesh systems can require months to set up. As a result, many rotorcraft simulations using structured-grid CFD neglect the fuselage. On the other hand, unstructured-mesh solvers are easily able to handle complex geometries, but suffer from slower execution speed. However, advances in both computer hardware and CFD algorithms have made previously state-of-the-art computations routine for unstructured-mesh solvers, so that rotorcraft simulations using unstructured grids are now viable. The aim of the present work is to develop a first principles rotorcraft simulation tool based on an unstructured CFD solver.

Biedron, Robert T.↗
NASA NTRS1999

A Robust and Scalable Software Library for Parallel Adaptive Refinement on Unstructured Meshes

The design and implementation of Pyramid, a software library for performing parallel adaptive mesh refinement (PAMR) on unstructured meshes, is described. This software library can be easily used in a variety of unstructured parallel computational applications, including parallel finite element, parallel finite volume, and parallel visualization applications using triangular or tetrahedral meshes. The library contains a suite of well-designed and efficiently implemented modules that perform operations in a typical PAMR process. Among these are mesh quality control during successive parallel adaptive refinement (typically guided by a local-error estimator), parallel load-balancing, and parallel mesh partitioning using the ParMeTiS partitioner. The Pyramid library is implemented in Fortran 90 with an interface to the Message-Passing Interface (MPI) library, supporting code efficiency, modularity, and portability. An EM waveguide filter application, adaptively refined using the Pyramid library, is illustrated.

Lou, John Z.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Progress in integrated analysis with adaptive unstructured meshing

Design of lightweight structures and thermal protection systems for hypersonic vehicles depend on accurate prediction of aerothermal loads, structural temperatures and their gradients, and structural deformations and stresses. Concentration is on an alternative meshing technique which generates an entirely new adaptive unstructured mesh based on the solution obtained from the earlier mesh. The technique combined with the finite element method has been shown to significantly improve the efficiency and accuracy of the fluid, thermal, and structural analyses. Current capability of the adaptive unstructured meshing technique for the integrated fluid-thermal-structural analysis is described first. The technique was extended to transient thermal analysis of structures with time-dependent adaptive meshing to capture the detailed temperature response with a minimum number of unknowns and computational cost. Both linear and higher-order finite elements are implemented to demonstrate the generality of the technique and to investigate their solution accuracy. Currently, the adaptive meshing technique is being developed for plane structures that can be modeled with membrane elements and built-up structures modeled with membrane and bending elements. The capability of the technique to these different disciplinary problems is demonstrated by several examples.

Dechaumphai, Pramote↗
NASA NTRS1992

A finite-volume Euler solver for computing rotary-wing aerodynamics on unstructured meshes

An unstructured-grid solver for the unsteady Euler equations has been developed for predicting the aerodynamics of helicopter rotor blades. This flow solver is a finite-volume scheme that computes flow quantities at the vertices of the mesh. Special treatments are used for the flux differencing and boundary conditions in order to compute rotary-wing flowfields, and these are detailed in the paper. The unstructured-grid solver permits adaptive grid refinement in order to improve the resolution of flow features such as shocks, rotor wakes and acoustic waves. These capabilities are demonstrated in the paper. Example calculations are presented for two hovering rotors. In both cases, adaptive-grid refinement is used to resolve high gradients near the rotor surface and also to capture the vortical regions in the rotor wake. The computed results show good agreement with experimental results for surface airloads and wake geometry.

Strawn, Roger C.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Revisiting the Least-squares Procedure for Gradient Reconstruction on Unstructured Meshes

The accuracy of the least-squares technique for gradient reconstruction on unstructured meshes is examined. While least-squares techniques produce accurate results on arbitrary isotropic unstructured meshes, serious difficulties exist for highly stretched meshes in the presence of surface curvature. In these situations, gradients are typically under-estimated by up to an order of magnitude. For vertex-based discretizations on triangular and quadrilateral meshes, and cell-centered discretizations on quadrilateral meshes, accuracy can be recovered using an inverse distance weighting in the least-squares construction. For cell-centered discretizations on triangles, both the unweighted and weighted least-squares constructions fail to provide suitable gradient estimates for highly stretched curved meshes. Good overall flow solution accuracy can be retained in spite of poor gradient estimates, due to the presence of flow alignment in exactly the same regions where the poor gradient accuracy is observed. However, the use of entropy fixes has the potential for generating large but subtle discretization errors.

Mavriplis, Dimitri J.↗