Topic: Impact of Epistemic Uncertainty in Turbulence Modelling on Aerodynamic and Aeroelastic Analysis
Speaker: Dr. Andrea Da Ronch, University of Southampton, UK
Time: 9: 30 am, October 16
Venue: C708, New Main Building
Abstract:
Turbulence models based on Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations remain the workhorse in the computation of high Reynolds-number wall-bounded flows. The deficiencies of these methods in modelling complex flows are well-documented. However, an understanding of the sources of errors and uncertainties in RANS solvers, arising for example from different numerical schemes and flow modelling techniques, is missing to date. The aim of this work is to establish and quantify the impact that epistemic uncertainties within RANS solvers have on the aerodynamic and aeroelastic response of the complex, full-scale aerial vehicle. This will produce a range of all possible values of interest due to the inherent uncertainty of RANS solvers, which is expected to be highly dependent on the flow conditions and geometry configuration. This information, in turn, is used to establish the robustness of the vehicle design and its performance metrics considering a high-g pull-up manoeuvre used for structural sizing. It is found that the static aeroelastic analysis without aerodynamic uncertainty (deterministic analysis) under predicted the largest generalised force, with an immediate consequence on the structural design.
Biography of the Speaker：
Andrea DA RONCH is a Lecturer in Aerospace Engineering, the Academic Integrity Officer and the Director of the Flight Simulator of the University of Southampton, UK. He coordinates a group of 7 researchers and manages a portfolio of projects in excess of £1,000,000 as the Principal Investigator or Co-Investigator. He attracted research grants from national and international councils, from the Royal Academy of Engineering (RAEng), the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), to the European Commission H2020 framework and the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR). He received commissions by Airbus Operations Ltd to transfer research innovations to industry by addressing practical needs. He has a well-proved experience in multi-disciplinary computational aero-sciences and modelling techniques to reduce the computational complexity of mathematical models in numerical simulations, with particular interests in aircraft design, aerodynamics and aeroelasticity. He has published a book, “Advanced UAV Aerodynamics, Flight Stability and Control: Novel Concepts, Theory and Applications” by John Wiley & Sons, and his peer-reviewed journals were cited more than 1,000 times. He serves as the Chair of the AIAA Student Paper Competition within the remits of the Atmospheric Flight Mechanics Technical Committee, he is a reviewer of multiple international journals and research grant platforms, and he is on the Editorial Board of Aerospace.
School of Aeronautic Science and Engineering
