Mesh Generation and Deformation Algorithm for Aeroelasticity Simulations
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This paper presents the development of a novel mesh generation and deformation algorithm for wings with large deformations. The computational domain was discretized using a hybrid grid that consisted of structured hexahedra around the wing and unstructured triangular prisms elsewhere. The mesh was divided in layers that were topologically identical in the spanwise direction. The mesh deformation algorithm was applied in two steps. First, the spring analogy technique was applied to deform the nodes within a mesh layer. Second, the layers were deformed in order to be perpendicular to the boundaries of the domain and to the surface of the wing, for any wing deformation. The mesh generation and deformation algorithm was applied to two cases: the Goland wing and the F-5 wing. The mesh deformation algorithm developed herein was capable of modeling wing tip deformations of up to 60% of the wing semi-span. The quality of the mesh was monitored as the mesh deformed. For the Goland wing with a tip deformation equal to 60% of the wing semi-span, the average mesh quality dropped by less than 4% as compared to the undeformed wing. The speedup obtained by deforming the grid, as opposed to remeshing, varied between 3.6 and 5.