Computational Analysis of Pressure and Wake Characteristics of an Aerofoil in Ground Effect

The pressure and wake of an inverted cambered aerofoil in ground effect was studied numerically by solving the Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations. Efforts were focused on the setting up of an accurate numerical model and assessing the abilities of various turbulence models in capturing major physical features associated with the flow, such as surface pressure distribution, separation, level of downforce, and wake. A number of ride heights were studied covering various force regions. Surface pressures, sectional forces, and wake characteristics were compared to experimental data. The $k−ω$ SST and Realizable $k−ε$ turbulence models were found to offer good overall simulations, with the $k−ω$ SST performing better for the surface pressure and the Realizable $k−ε$ better for the wake. The simulations at various ride heights correctly captured the trends in flow-field variations with ride height. The surface pressures, wake flow field, and region of separation on the suction surface of the aerofoil, at lower ride heights, were all modeled accurately.