Instituto Tecnológico de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey

Campus Estado de México

Challenge

Mechanics of fluids
Professor: José de Jesús Silva Córdoba

Equipo:
Eugenio Picazo Legorreta A01376664
Axel Adrián Saenz Martínes A01371086
Daniel Omar Sarmiento Becerril A01375535

Investigate what CFD involves:

CFD stands for computational fluid dynamics and it is a brand of fluid mechanics that
specializes in solving problems of fluid flows. It solves this problems with the use of
numerical analysis and data structures. The mathematical processes that cfd involves are
discretiontial methods which include finite volume method, finite element method, finite
difference method, spectral element method, boundary element method, high resolution
discretization schemes. It also includes turbulence models which include reynolds-averaged
Navier-Stokes, large eddy simulation, detached eddy simulation, direct numerical simulation,
coherent vortex simulation, PDF methods, vortex method, vorticity confinement method,
linear eddy model. All this mathematical analysis take part in the process of solving the
behaviour of a fluid and are simplified by the program.

How does it work?

Like any Finite Element Analysis, CFD works with a geometry (.step format recommended),
a generated mesh and boundary conditions. Since we know mechanics of fluids are not
usually linear systems, the solution is not one single run but a series of iterations that
converge to the system solution.

What is important in CFD Analysis is how we work with the geometry. Any CFD software
asks for two important actions that should be taken before running the simulation. First, we
have to generate our control volume: we generate a volume (any prism) that encapsulates
the proposed geometry. Once we generate our control volume we will use it later as a wind
tunnel. Then, we apply the boolean operation “extract” that literally extracts the solid within
the prism leaving the geometry inside an empty tunnel.

Now the mesh of the geometry should be generated and also the boundary conditions of the
tunnel. We define the input and output in the prism. Later, the speed and type of flow have to
be defined (turbulent, transitory, laminar). The pressure in the output should be defined as
zero. And finally we set the number of iterations (150 approximately).

The solution comes from a series of iterations that converge to the solutions of the system.
Whenever the software can´t reach a solution, the geometry or boundary conditions could
have not been defined correctly. Like any other FEM or simulation softwares the solution
comes from matrix operations. The difference between FEM and CFD are the iterations;
while FEM gets a solution running once the simulation, CFD need to iterate the matrix
operations to reach a solution.

Finally, the software displays the solution: animations, contour lines, and so on.

What is Ansys Fluent?

ANSYS Fluent software is the most-powerful computational fluid dynamics (CFD) tool
available, empowering you to go further and faster as you optimize your product's
performance. Fluent includes well-validated physical modeling capabilities to deliver fast,
accurate results across the widest range of CFD and multiphysics applications.
ANSYS Fluent software contains the broad physical modeling capabilities needed to model
flow, turbulence, heat transfer, and reactions for industrial applications—ranging from air
flow over an aircraft wing to combustion in a furnace, from bubble columns to oil platforms,
from blood flow to semiconductor manufacturing, and from clean room design to wastewater
treatment plants. Fluent covers a broad reach, including special models with capabilities to
model in-cylinder combustion, aero-acoustics, turbomachinery and multiphase systems
(Swanson Analysis Systems, Inc.”ANSYS-Fluent.”ansys.com).
Proposal CAD for analysis by CFD fluent:
Project development:

For the fluid analysis of the stp CAD part we used the Autodesk Fusion 360 CFD program
Design Flow. We started by exporting the object to be studied to the program which was the
frontal aileron. After exporting the piece the first step before running the program is to
generate the mesh. This was done automatically by the program meaning that it
automatically solved for the geometry of the aileron for the further analysis. Once having the
pre working necessary conditions we started the simulation with wind at the configured
velocity. (The geometry indicates the pressure zones scaled by a color code shown.)
In the following picture we can appreciate more clearly the colors related with the pressure
zones and we can also see how the vortex appear in certain geometry regions.

Simulation on Isosurface setting:

And this image is the same seen from below.

This simulations describe broadly how does the wind behave on the surface of the body. As
we can see from the images the flow of air is always going on a straight like manner so as
the air flows around this body the body itself won't affect the path of the air drastically as it
goes through it.

Another type of simulation runned was the plane on the 3-D geometry:

In the previous we see how the pressure is affecting the body section due a specific plane
representing the air flow in such body section.
Another simulation runned was the vector flux, this differed from the previous just by giving
the air flow in vectorial terms instead of a particle animation.

Another view from the simulation.

Afterwards we did more plane flux analysis in the geometry.

With this we can observe the behaviour of the air mass flow and is pressure effects on a
very specific region of the whole model.

In the flowing image we appreciate more clearly the region selected and the height selected
for the plane in this test.

We lowered the height of the plane even more with respect to the top of the CAD part to get
the plane in the limit of the geometry. This to see how the very beginning of the object
disturbed flow. The following is the result.
Here we present another picture of the analysis of a plane through a body in 2-D reorienting
the plane in a vertical manner.

After doing all the possible different analysis of airflow through the object we opted to stop
working with it and instead decided to start obtaining data by working with the pressures.
This means that now all the colored region in the plane that's not the geometry itself
represents pressure not air flow anymore.

The following is the result of such pressure analysis in a selected plane.

The simulation shows the analysis of the largest section of geometry of the whole body.

If we move the plane more into the ailerons we see that by a pressure analysis simulation a
pressure zone appears in this section of the geometry. This is something logical as ailerons
generate pressure zones that push up or down the whole body.

Afterwards we work again with the isosurface but this time we work with pressure. An
isosurface analysis based on pressure shows us a resulting simulation that shows where is
the most pressure along the whole geometry.
By making a cut in the geometry we can see the specific amount of pressure that is
generated in a desired inquiry point. we made this cut on the aileron to appreciate more
clearly the pressure concentration in this region. Where the green is present is where the
most pressure is generated in the aileron.

By working with 2-D planes in using pressure similarly we get the following results.
What the result clearly states is that the front green area represent a low pressure zone with
respect to the back part of the aileron. Whats this means is that the aileron clearly works
properly as the pressure rises significantly once the flow passes through it. This will have as
a physical effect the lowering of the front of the car providing more grip to the surface at
higher speeds.

Finally the last type of analysis we did on this program was a drag force analysis. The
simulations threw up results showing the pressure zones of the whole body and a graph
providing the drag coefficient and the drag force.

It provided estimated values for each of both variables as drag coefficient: 0.75 and drag
force: 1600
And an also an animated version that includes the airflow through the body.