Rapid load calculations using an efficient unsteady aerodynamic solver

A novel computationally efficient approach to calculate unsteady aerodynamic loads is presented. The hybrid unsteady aerodynamics approach couples two recently developed solvers. The first solver is based on the time marching of vortex lattice method equations. The second one is a state–of–the–art efficient Navier–Stokes solver for the infinite–swept wing problem, implemented in the DLR-Tau code. This paper describes the algorithmic development of this novel approach and demonstrates its high computational efficiency. Algorithmic details are followed by an extensive validation campaign, covering subsonic and transonic unsteady flows.