Reconstruction of Gust Velocity Profiles via Potential Flow, CFD and ROM Techniques

Gust and turbulence events are of primary importance in the estimation of limit loads and in the analysis of flight incidents. Aircraft manufacturers are putting effort into the study of gust reconstruction as it is beneficial during the design stages of the aircraft and for in-service support. The proposed gust reconstruction consists of a numerical optimisation framework where the design variables are parameterised using (and comparing) two methods, namely, Radial Basis Functions and Hick-Henne Bump Functions. Its applications is first demonstrated on a standard flat plate in potential flow using the Unsteady Lumped Vortex Method; then, on the full order model of a typical section of a modern airliner in CFD, using a prescribed velocity approach called the split velocity method (SVM); and, finally, on a reduced order model for the same aerofoil. Results proved satisfactory in all three applications for, but not limited to, the reconstruction of a known one minus cosine gust.