Applied Computational Fluid Dynamics Techniques: An Introduction Based on Finite Element Methods, 2nd Edition

1 INTRODUCTION AND GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS

Before going into a detailed description of applied Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) techniques, it seems proper to define its place among related disciplines. CFD is part of computational mechanics, which in turn is part of simulation techniques. Simulation is used by engineers and physicists to forecast or reconstruct the behaviour of an engineering product or physical situation under assumed or measured boundary conditions (geometry, initial states, loads, etc.). A variety of reasons can be cited for the increased importance that simulation techniques have achieved in recent years.

(a) The need to forecast performance. The inability to forecast accurately the performance of a new product can have a devastating effect on companies. The worst nightmare of an aircraft or car manufacturer is to build a prototype which has some hidden flaw that renders it inoperable or seriously degrades market appeal. Of the many examples that could be cited here, we just mention flutter or buzz for aircraft and unforeseen noise or vibrations for cars. With the development costs for new products being so large (about $4 × 10⁹ for a new aircraft, $10⁹ for a new car; these and all subsequent quotations are in US$ and are accurate in the year 2000), a non-performing product can quickly lead to bankruptcy. The only way to minimize the risk of unexpected performance is through insight, i.e. information. Simulation techniques such as CFD can provide this information. ...