Status and Prospects of Computational Fluid Dynamics for Unsteady Transonic Viscous Flows

SUMARY Applications of computational aerodynamics to aeronautical research, design, and analysis have increased rapidly over the past decade, and these applications offer significant benefits to aeroelas-ticians. This Paper traces the past developments by means of a number of specific examples, and projects the trends over the next several years. The crucial factors that limit the present capabilities for unsteady analyses are identified; they include computer speed and memory, algorithm and solution methods, grid generation, turbulence modeling, vortex modeling, data processing, and coupling of the aerodynamic and structural dynamic analyses. The prospects for overcoming these limitations are presented, and many improvements appear to be readily attainable. If so, a complete and reliable numerical simulation of the unsteady, transonic viscous flow around a realistic fighter aircraft configuration could become possible within the next decade. The possibilities i using artificial intelliience conceots to hasten the achieve-ment of this goal are also discussed. 1.:NTRODUCTION The extraordinary growth in computer tecnnology of the past two decades has revolutionized the design f modern aircraft, especially aircraft that cruise or maneuver in the transonic flow regime. There is n