Swirling-strength based large eddy simulation of turbulent flow around single square cylinder at low Reynolds numbers

In view of the fact that large scale vortices play the substantial role of momentum transport in turbulent flows, large eddy simulation （LES） is considered as a better simulation model. However, the sub-grid scale （SGS） models reported so far have not ascertained under what flow conditions the LES can lapse into the direct nu-merical simulation. To overcome this discrepancy, this paper develops a swirling strength based the SGS model to properly model the turbulence intermittency, with the primary characteristics that when the local swirling strength is zero, the local sub-grid viscosity will be vanished. In this paper, the model is used to investigate the flow characteris-tics of zero-incident incompressible turbulent flows around a single square cylinder （SC） at a low Reynolds number range Re ∈ [103, 104]. The flow characteristics investigated include the Reynolds number dependence of lift and drag coefficients, the distributions of time-spanwise averaged variables such as the sub-grid viscosity and the logarithm of Kolmogorov micro-scale to the base of 10 at Re=2 500 and 104, the contours of spanwise and streamwise vorticity components at t = 170. It is revealed that the peak value of sub-grid viscosity ratio and its root mean square （RMS） values grow with the Reynolds number. The dissipation rate of turbulent kinetic energy is larger near the SC solid walls. The instantaneous factor of swirling strength intermittency （FSI） exhibits some laminated structure involved with vortex shedding.

Precise drag prediction of airfoil flows by a new algebraic model

We report the results of accurate prediction of lift(C L)and drag(C D)coefficients of two typical airfoil flows(NACA0012 and RAE2822)by a new algebraic turbulence model,in which the eddy viscosity is specified by a stress length(SL)function predicted by structural ensemble dynamics(SED)theory.Unprecedented accuracy of the prediction of C D with error of a few counts(one count is 10−4)and of C L with error under 1%-2%are uniformly obtained for varying angles of attack(AoA),indicating an order of magnitude improvement of drag prediction accuracy compared to currently used models(typically around 20 to 30 counts).More interestingly,the SED-SL model is distinguished with fewer parameters of clear physical meaning,which quantify underlying turbulent boundary layer(TBL)with a universal multi-layer structure,and is thus promising to be more easily generalizable to complex TBL.The use of the new model for the calibration of flow condition in experiment and the extraction of flow physics from numerical simulation data of aeronautic flows are discussed.

Aerodynamic Performance of the Locust Wing in Gliding Mode at Low Reynolds Number

Gliding is an important flight mode for insects because it saves energy during long distance flight without wing flapping. In this study, we investigated the influence of locust wing corrugation on the aerodynamic performance in gliding mode at low Reynolds number. Numerical simulations using two-dimensional Navier-Stokes equations are applied to study the gliding flight, which reveals the interaction between forewing and hindwing. The lift of the corrugated airfoil in a locust wing decreases from the wing root to the tip. Simulation results show that the pressure drags on the forewing and hindwing increase with an increase in wing thickness; while the lift-drag ratio of the airfoil is marginally affected by the corrugation on the airfoil. Geometric parameters analysis of the locust wing is also carried out, which includes the corrugation height, the corrugation placement and the shapes of leading and trailing edges.