Top CFD Software for Aerospace Applications and Integration with CAD Programs

[aeroeng212]

Hi-
I was wondering if anyone could talk a little bit about the top Computational Fluid Dynamics software out there today- specifically in the aerospace industry/for applications in aerodynamics.
Do they work in conjunction with CAD programs? If so, which are the leading programs (CATIA, PROENGINEER, AUTODESK, etc.)?
Thanks in advance for any help!

-aeroeng212

 

[mgb_phys]

There are a whole bunch of packages see http://www.cfdreview.com/
Plus a lot of in house ones for very specialised applications or research.

They generally take a CAD model as input ( eg. iges, dxf ) from any CAD package.
You generally produce a simplified version of the model specific for the CFD measurement.

 

[FredGarvin]

FLUENT is the widest used package that I run into in my travels. On top of that, many companies, including mine, have proprietary codes that they rely heavily on for very specific application as well.

 

[minger]

Agreed with Fred. I've seen Fluent the most. And while the readily available commercial softwares are the easiest to use, the proprietary codes are (biased) arguably better since you know exactly what they are doing, though there is much room for debate there.

 

[ABHIdAVIATOR]

well, any suggestions for software that should be used for meshing complex geometries?

 

[mgb_phys]

If you are writing your own package then Triangle (http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~quake/triangle.html) is pretty good.
The topic is called Delauney triangualtion, there are a few special features you want if it is specifically for CFD - triangles should be similair sized, have no small angles and be as nearly equilateral as possible.

 

[minger]

If your doing high-order,high-accuracy schemes, then you will (almost) need a structured grid. The package we use is GridPro, which is a pain in the ass, but works very well if you can use it.

However, for complex geometries, unstructured grids are all the rave as they are very easy to get.