CELLULAR AUTOI?ATONS APPLIED TO GAS DYNAHIC PROBLENS

This paper compares the results of a relatively new computational fluid dynamics method, cellular automatons, with experimental data and analytical results. This technique has been shown to qualitatively predict fluid-like behavior, however, there have been few published comparisons with experiment or other theories. Comparisons are made for a one-dimensional supersonic piston problem, Stokes First Problem, and the flow past a normal flat plate. These comparisons are used to assess the ability of the method to accurately model fluid dynamic behavior and to point out its limitations. Reasonable results were obtained for all three test cases. While this is encouraging, the fundamental limitations of cellular automatons are numerous. In addition, i t may be misleading, at this tine, to say that cellular automat.ons are a computationally efficient technique. Other methods, based on continuum or kinetic theory, would also be very efficient if a? little of the physics were included.