Flow Around a Wing: improvement of physical comprehension by using a DES model

Abstract

Authors: Giovanni Lombardi, Marco Maganzi

Keywords: CFD, DES, Detached Eddy Simulation, wing aerodynamics, turbulence modeling

This paper presents a detailed analysis of flow around a wing using Detached Eddy Simulation (DES) turbulence modeling. DES combines the advantages of Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) near walls with Large Eddy Simulation (LES) in separated flow regions, providing improved prediction of complex separated flows. The study demonstrates how DES enhances physical comprehension of wing aerodynamics compared to traditional RANS approaches, particularly in capturing unsteady flow features, vortex shedding, and separation bubble dynamics. Results are validated against experimental wind tunnel data, showing excellent agreement for both mean flow quantities and turbulent statistics.