Introduction

Abstract

The design process of future aircraft requires extensive research and development work in the area of aerodynamics. To accomplish this task in a cost-effective manner, high-quality ground-test facilities (wind tunnels) and very high performance numerical algorithms must be available and must operate in tandem. The success of this combination will, to a large extend, depend on the availability of fast and robust numerical methods supporting sound mathematical models of the physical processes at work. Together with a rapid increase in computer power and speed, today’s Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) methods are becoming increasingly powerful tools in the design context, lowering costs and providing information on processes in critical flow regions and in off-design conditions, where measurements are difficult to conduct.