Development of a computational aerodynamics software

Abstract

A software package has been developed on the VAX 8800 to compute the pressure distribution and lift curve of an arbitrary two dimensional aerofoil below stall in incompressible flow. It consists of four different user-selectable standard methods - namely the vortex-lattice method, the vortex panel method, the source-vorticity singularity method and the source-doublet singularity method. Comparison of computed results for the NACA 4 and 5-digit series aerofoils shows that the package is reliable. It is user-friendly and has extensive automatic error messages which makes it useful for preliminary design or training purposes.