I'm taking Computational Fluid Dynamics this semester (CFD) and the class is based on a project. The project is to come up with my own idea to run through CFD software called Fluent, which models and quantifies fluid flows. I can model things like velocity fields and heat dissipation, to name just a few, and the software will paint a pretty picture of the results and I imagine spit some numbers out at me.

Here are some ideas:
Model the cooling of a turbine blade using cavities filled with fuel running through the blade (already being done on full scale planes).
Compare the flow over a pattern plane both with and without canalizers to quantify the effects of the canalizers.
Model a hinge gap, taped and untaped, and examine the benefits of taped seams.
Model a counter-rotating prop and the flow of air over the plane.

Some of these are more complex than needed for the class and will have to be done in 2D (no big deal though).

So one idea would be to get a Solidworks representation of an airplane from one of you kind folks, with which then I could model some canalizers (aft of the canopy and maybe the ones just inside the ailerons), then run it all through the software to set the mesh, and finally model in fluent.

I would love to hear your thoughts and ideas - is there anything that you guys would like to see modeled in 3D software and quantified? Are there things that are rumored to work, but no real proof exists?

These are just the ideas I came up with in the last 5 minutes of class today. Don't need a definitive project until October or something, so plenty of time to discuss a project and the issues/thoughts/arguments behind it.

Thanks! Senior year is looking like it's going to be a fun one

Joe,

Good Luck.....

IMO, the sealed vs. unsealed hinge idea is the real winner. Simple concept, but willl likely yield surprisong result that may confirm or challenge conventional wisdom on the subject. It may seem mundane compared to the others, but your senior project is less about the results and more about learning the process of doing the project. Pick a subject that you are confident you lets you do the process well without bogging yourself down in technical complexities that are not necessary.

Richard

I second Richard's comments. The hinge gap would be great, you could compare a few gap sizes and sealed.

You could also model/test top hinge vs. center hinge with and without sealing....

What a good opportunity you are providing for us to get answers to those more obscure questions we have running around in our heads.

I have always wondered the effect of cutting wheel wells in the lower surface after being so careful to produce an accurate symmetrical wing. Retracts are not seen around much these days at top level and I know weight will be a consideration, but there have been times when top models did not have fixed undercarriages. Did we move away from that concept for the right reason? May be you could prove it was the right move for the aerodynamics of the model.

Ashley

I say do the one about the canalizer. that is one of the biggest questions running around here on the forums.

I think the only way to see the true effects of the canalizer would be to also model the propeller and have it actually spinning in the airstream at a realistic RPM. From what I understand most of the aerodynamic effects of the canalizer relate to the spiral slipstream generated by the rotating propeller. Top versus center hinged wings would be really interesting.

This is what I would try to do, if I were to do the canalizer. As I get ideas I will talk to my prof. and ask about simulations. Of course it wouldn't make sense to model a canalizer with laminar flow, but it is my understanding that fluent can easily simulate the spiraling airstream.

Same goes for the hinge gaps. My understanding is that taping hinges makes the surfaces more responsive by not allowing air to pass through the space. I would hypothesize that the effectiveness of the taped hinges varies with flying conditions and plane attitude. May be doing next to nothing near straight and level, but more effective during certain parts of a loop or certain maneuvers.

Please keep the thoughts coming. I want to do something very relevant and meaningful and to take this pretty seriously. This probably is my favorite class with one of my favorite professors, and most related to something I'd like to do in the future.

Hinge gaps... we know the answer, and benefited from the results.
Canalizers... we know the answer, and benefited from the results.
My vote goes to counter rotating props and vertical fin/rudder placement.
Normally up, would equal counteracting prop slip streams suggest centered? Equal amount of fin/rudder, top and bottom.
Find out.

This is your senior project, not your scientific contribution to model aircraft world. It is also not a poularity contest. Pick something that you can succeed in the process of doing the work that makes a succesful project. Your grade will depend on your success in the process of doing the project, not the perceived value of the results.

Don't get me wrong, I would love to see CFD models of airstream from a propellor in relation our aircraft, but you really need to consider the complexity of propellor dynamics that would be involved with modelling it and make sure it is within your capabilities to do.

Professors love to teach lesson, and if you go to a professor with a project that is amibitious beyond your capability/understanding, he/she will be more than happy to oblige you. Whether you bite off more than you can chew and struggle through it, or you pick something reasonable, they know that either way a lesson will have been learned...

Richard

I agree with Richard I spent a lot of time using Fluent in college and believe me its not as easy to model some of the things you have listed as you may think. Keep it simple! For my first project I simply matched the cl and cd curve of an airfoil from literature and even that took more time than I thought it would. By choosing a 'simple' project you can concentrate on writing a proper report which always counts for more. Modelling things like counter rotating props will not only take a lot of thinking of how to model correctly and iron out issues, but it will probably take forever to solve.

Holy Crap! I found my dream "job"/ internship. I was just searching through tons of engineering jobs and was getting discouraged at how none of them were really what I wanted to be doing, then stumbled across this, which is seriously exactly what I want to do. I probably have next to no chance of actually getting it considering how big the company is, but I'm pretty freaking excited. I just emailed this to my professor so we can work out something that is totally related for my project.

From Boeing, and in relation to commercial airplanes:

So exciting!