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Assignment
Finite Element Methods
Student name Reg no
Sahil Orangzeb MEEN-19111074
Submitted to
Engr. Waqas Tahir
INSTITUTE OF MECHANICAL AND MANUFACTURING ENGINEERING
KHWAJA FAREED UNIVERSITY OF ENGINEERING AND IMFORMATION
TECHNOLOGY RAHIM YAR KHAN
July 6, 2023
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Assignment
Problem Statement
Lift and drag coefficient is the most fundamental parameters in flight of an aircraft.
To obtain the lift and drag coefficient using CFD software, FLUENT.
Introduction
The complex commercial computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software, ANSYS
FLUENT offers a convenient way to model a fluid dynamics problem. In this work, flow
analysis of NACA 4412 airfoil was investigated. Drag force, lift force as well as the overall
pressure distribution over the airfoil were also analyzed at angle of attack 8 degrees. The
outcome of this investigation was shown and computed by using ANSYS Workbench 15.0.
The pressure distributions as well as coefficient of lift and coefficient of drag values and
velocity contours of airfoil were visualized and compared. The whole analysis is solely based
on the principle of finite element method and computational fluid dynamics (CFD). The
procedure is done following a reliable tutorial. The geometry and meshes used are the same
for every test or model. However, computational set up such as inlet, outlet, boundary condition
and turbulence model are varied to see if there is any improvement as close as the experimental
data. Lift and drag coefficients, pressure and velocity component are determined using
turbulence model, inviscid model. Advances in computing technology and software have
revolutionized the design process of engineering vehicles such as aircraft and automobiles. In
the area of fluid dynamics, there are many commercial computational fluid dynamics (CFD)
packages available for modeling flow in or around objects. There are three main components
to the implementation of CFD methodology: pre-processing, solving and post processing. Pre-
processing includes the creation of geometry, mesh generation, physics and fluid properties
and boundary conditions. There are many ways to solve the pre-processing problem, ranging
from transport equations, physical models and solver settings. Lastly, we can interpret and
view the results in form of XY plots, velocity vectors, contour and so on. Figure 1 bellows
shows the flow chart of the overall analysis.
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Figure 1. Flowchart of The Main Elements of a CFD Analysis.
In the earliest days, when man was yet living in the lap of nature, the only means of
locomotion was his legs. Gradually, we have achieved faster and more luxurious waysof
travelling, latest being the air transport. Since, its invention aero planes have been getting
more and more popularity as it is the fastest mode of transportation available. It has also
gained popularity as a war machine since World War II. This popularity of air transport has
led to many new inventions and research to developed faster and more economical planes.
This project is such an attempt to determine how we can derive maximum performance out
of an airfoil section. An airfoil is a cross-section of wing of the plane. It’s main job is to
provide lift to an aero plane during take-off and while in flight. But, it has also a side effect
called Drag which opposes the motion of the aeroplane. The amount of lift needed by a
plane depends on the purpose for which it isto be used. Heavier planes require more lift
while lighter planes require less lift than the heavier ones. Thus, depending upon the use of
aeroplane, airfoil section is determined. Lift force also determines the vertical acceleration
of the plane, which in turns depends on the horizontal velocity of the plane. Thus,
determining the coefficient of lift one can calculate the lift force and knowing the lift force
and required vertical acceleration one can determine the required horizontal velocity.
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Figure 2. Crucial parameters for aircraft design.
The foremost objective of this project is to reproduce published or experimental data for
NACA 4412 in order to become familiar with the Ansys software interface and functions.
This project is to expand ones understanding about the concept of the software by creating
a situation or environment of a real-life problem, and also to find a suitable method to get
the desired results by varying inputs supported by solid evidence.
Methodology
Ansys, offers engineering simulation solution sets in engineering simulation that a
design process requires. Companies in a wide variety of industries use ANSYS software. It
uses CFD and FEM and various other programming algorithms for simulating and optimizing
various design problems. ANSYS has many sub parts out of which I will use FLUENT.
ANSYS Fluent uses CFD for analysis and is mainly used for simulation of fluid mechanics
and thermodynamics problems. Data of various fluid and solid materials are already fed into
the ANSYS database which we use.
Bernoulli’s principle describes the behavior of a fluid moving along a streamline. It
states that an idea fluid without viscosity of friction, running through along a closed pipeline,
the total energy remains constant throughout its length. Basically what stated here is an increase
in flow speed lead to a reduction of pressure, and conversely, if the flow speed is reduced the
pressure increases.
NACA Airfoil
The early NACA airfoil series, the 4-digit, 5-digit, and modified 4-/5-digit, were
generated using analytical equations that describe the camber (curvature) of the mean- line
(geometric centerline) of the airfoil section as well as the section's thickness distribution
along the length of the airfoil. Later families, including the 6-Series, are more complicated
shapes derived using theoretical rather than geometrical methods. Before the National
Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) developed these series, airfoil design was
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rather arbitrary with nothing to guide the designer except past experience with known shapes
and experimentation with modifications to those shapes. This methodology began to change
in the early 1930s with the publishing of a NACA report entitled The Characteristics of 78
Related Airfoil Sections from Tests in the Variable Density Wind Tunnel. In this landmark
report, the authors noted that therewere many similarities between the airfoils that were
most successful, and the two primary variables that affect those shapes are the slope of the
airfoil mean camber line and the thickness distribution above and below this line. They then
presented a series of equations incorporating these two variables that could be used to
generate an entire family of related airfoil shapes. As airfoil design became more
sophisticated, this basic approach was modified to include additional variables, but these two
basic geometrical values remained at the heart of all NACA airfoil series, as illustrated below
in Figure 3.
Figure 3. NACA airfoil geometrical construction.
➢ Geometry
This section explains specifically about the methodology of CFD analysis. Physical setup,
computational domain, solution setup and choices of turbulence model are explained in order
as procedure. Modelling Naca 4412 Airfoil Using Coordinates in SOLIDWORKS. The airfoil
geometry was done in SolidWorks software. I downloaded the airfoil data file for NACA 4412
from [Link] website. The airfoil [Link] file looks like this below:
1.0000 0.0013
0.9500 0.0147
0.9000 0.0271
0.8000 0.0489
0.7000 0.0669
0.6000 0.0814
0.5000 0.0919
0.4000 0.0980
0.3000 0.0976
0.2500 0.0941
0.2000 0.0880
0.1500 0.0789
0.1000 0.0659
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0.0750 0.0576
0.0500 0.0473
0.0250 0.0339
0.0125 0.0244
0.0000 0.0000
0.0125 -0.0143
0.0250 -0.0195
0.0500 -0.0249
0.0750 -0.0274
0.1000 -0.0286
0.1500 -0.0288
0.2000 -0.0274
0.2500 -0.0250
0.3000 -0.0226
0.4000 -0.0180
0.5000 -0.0140
0.6000 -0.0100
0.7000 -0.0065
0.8000 -0.0039
0.9000 -0.0022
0.9500 -0.0016
1.0000 -0.0013
1. Features > Curves > Curve Through XYZ Points > Browse > [Link] file > OK
The [Link] was imported to SolidWorks as shown in Figure 4.
Figure 4. Importing coordinates in SOLIDWORKS.
• Importing External Geometry
1. Open ANSYS Workbench by going to Start > ANSYS > Workbench.
This will open the start-up screen seen as shown in Figure 5.
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Figure 5.
From the ANSYS Workbench home screen (Project Schematic), drag and dropa Geometry,
Mesh, and Fluent component from the Component Systems drop down menu onto the Project
Schematic.
2. Right click Geometry then select Import Geometry > Browse… Select
3. [Link] and click OK.
4. Right click Geometry and select Edit Geometry in DesignModeler.
5. Click Generate to generate the airfoil geometry.
The generated airfoil geometry is shown in Figure 6.
Figure 6.
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Create > Body Transformation > Scale...then enter Global Scaling Factor > 10
I entered 10 to Global Scaling Factor to get 1 m chord length for Naca 4412 airfoil. The
scaled geometry is shown in figure 7.
Figure 7.
Create > Body Transformation > Rotate > XY Axis > 0
The rotation was added in order to ease increasing or decreasing angle of attack for future
solutions. Next, we need to create a surface from the curve we just generated. Go to Concepts
> Surfaces from Edges. Click anywhere on the curve you just created, and select Edges > Apply
in the Details View Window. Click Generate to createthe surface. The generated surface is
shown in Figure 8.
Figure 8.
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➢ Creating C-Mesh Domain
Now that the airfoil has been generated, we need to create the mesh-able surface we willuse
once we begin to specify boundary conditions. The created C-Mesh Domain is shown in
Figure 9.
Figure 9.
➢ Mesh Generation
From Workbench home screen right click on Mesh and select Edit from the dropdown menu.
Hide Line Body of the airfoil as shown in Figure 10.
Figure 10.
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Mesh Details are set as shown in Figure 11.
Figure 11. Detailed view of mesh.
Right click Mesh and Insert > Sizing. Make sure to change the selection tool to Body/Element
and select mesh domain and change the parameters as below in Figure 12.
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Figure 12.
Right click Mesh and Insert > Sizing. Select the edges at the top of the airfoil and at the bottom
of the airfoil and click Apply. Change Parameters as per below in Figure 13.
Figure 13.
Right click Mesh and Insert > Sizing. Select the edge at the bottom of trailing edge of the airfoil
and click Apply. Right click Mesh and Insert > Inflation. Make sure to change the selection
tool to Body/Element and select the mesh domain and then select airfoil edges as Boundary.
Change the Parameters as below in Figure 14.
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Figure 14.
Make sure to change the selection tool to edge. Select the two vertical edges on the far right
side of the mesh. Right click, and select Create Named Selections. Name the edges outlet. Next,
select the edges that correspond to the inlet of the flow as defined by the Figure 15. Again,
right click and select Create Named Selections and this time name the selection inlet. Select
the two horizontal edges on the top of the mesh and on the bottomof the mesh. Right click, and
select Create Named Selections. Name the edges free. Finally, select the two edges making up
the airfoil, and name the selections Part 1 and Part 2 as shown in Figure 16.
Figure 15
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Figure 16.
➢ Setup (Physics)
In this step, open fluent and define the boundary conditions of the problem. Now, click Update
Project. This will load the mesh into FLUENT. Now, double click Setup. Check the box
marked Double Precision. To make the solver run a little quicker, under Processing Options
I selected Parallel and changed the Numberof Processes to 8. Then click OK to launch Fluent.
The first thing we will do once Fluent launches is define the solver we are going to use. Select
Problem Setup > General. Under Solver, select Density-Based as shown in Figure 17.
Figure 17.
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Next, I defined the model. I did this by going Problem Setup > Models > Viscous Laminar.
Then press Edit... This will open the Viscous Model Menu Window as shown in Figure 18.
Select Inviscid and press OK. I also turned Energy Equation on. I specified characteristics of
the fluid. Because we specified the fluid as inviscid, we will only have to define the density
of the fluid. To make matters even simpler, we are only looking for non-dimensionalized values
like pressure coefficient, so I defined density of air as ideal gas To define the density, click
Problem Setup > Materials > (double click) Air. This will launch the Create/Edit Materials
window. Under Properties, ensure that density is set to ideal-gas. Click Change/Create to set
the density. Now that the fluid has been described, we are ready to set the boundary conditions
of the simulation. Bring up the boundary conditions menu by selecting Problem Setup >
Boundary Conditions. In the Boundary Conditions window, look under Zones. First, let's set
the boundary conditions for the inlet. Select Inlet to see the details of the boundary condition.
The boundary conditiontype should have defaulted to velocity-inlet: if it didn't, select it. Now,
click Edit to bring up the Velocity-Inlet Window. We need to specify the magnitude and
direction of the velocity. Select Velocity Specification Method > Magnitude and Direction. I
set the inlet velocity magnitude 2 m/s for my setup In the Boundary Conditions window, look
under Zones. Select Outlet to see the details of the boundary condition. The boundary condition
type should have defaulted to pressure-outlet: if it didn't, select it.
Figure 18.
Click Edit, and ensure that the Gauge Pressure is defaulted to 0. In the Boundary Conditions
window, look under Zones. Select Free to see the details of the boundary condition. The
boundary condition type should have defaulted to pressure-far-field. Then click Edit, and
ensure that the Gauge MachNumber is defaulted to 0. The final thing to do before we move on
to solution is to acknowledge the reference values. Go to Problem Setup > Reference Values.
In the Reference Values Window, select Compute From > Inlet. Check the reference values
that appear to make sure they are as we have already set them.
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I specified characteristics of the fluid. Because we specified the fluid as inviscid, we will only
have to define the density of the fluid. To make matters even simpler, we are only looking for
non-dimensionalized values like pressure coefficient, so I defined density of air as ideal gas as
shown in Figure 3.20. To define the density, click Problem Setup > Materials > (double click)
Air. This will launch the Create/Edit Materials window. Under Properties, ensure that density
is set to ideal-gas. Click Change/Create to set the density as shown in Figure 19.
Figure 19.
Now that the fluid has been described, we are ready to set the boundary conditions of the
simulation. Bring up the boundary conditions menu by selecting Problem Setup > Boundary
Conditions. In the Boundary Conditions window, look under Zones. First, let's set the boundary
conditions for the inlet. Select Inlet to see the details of the boundary condition. The boundary
condition type should have defaulted to velocity-inlet: if it didn't, select it. Now, click Edit to
bring up the Velocity-Inlet Window. We need to specify the magnitude and direction of the
velocity. Select Velocity Specification Method > Magnitude and Direction. I set the inlet
velocity magnitude 2 m/s for my setup as shown in Figure 20.
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Figure 20.
In the Boundary Conditions window, look under Zones. Select Outlet to see the details of the
boundary condition. The boundary condition type should have defaulted to pressure-outlet: if
it did not, select it. Click Edit, and ensure that the Gauge Pressure is defaulted to 0. In the
Boundary Conditions window, look under Zones. Select Free to see the details of the boundary
condition. The boundary condition type should have defaulted to pressure-far-field. Then click
Edit, and ensure that the Gauge Mach Number is defaulted to 0. The final thing to do before
we move on to solution is to acknowledge the reference values. Go to Problem Setup >
Reference Values. In the Reference Values Window, select Compute From > Inlet. Check the
reference values that appear to make sure they are as we have already set them as shown in
Figure 21.
Figure 21.
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➢ Solution
First, go to Solution > Solution Methods. Everything in this section should have defaulted to
what we want, but let's make sure that under Flow the selection is Second Order Upwind. Now
we are ready to begin solving the simulation. Before we hit solve though, we need to set up
some parameters for how Fluent will solve the simulation. Begin by going to Solution >
Monitors. In the Monitors Window, look under Residuals, Statistic, and Force Monitors. Select
Residuals - Print, Plot and press Edit. In the Residual Monitors Window, we want to change
all of the Absolute Criteria to 1e-6. This will give us some further trust in our solution. I also
created lift and drag monitors.
Figure 22.
Now, we need to initialize the solution. Go to Solution > Solution Initialization. In the Solution
Initialization Window, select Compute From > Inlet. Ensure the values that appear are the same
values we inputted before. If they are, initialize the solution by clicking Initialize. Once the
solution has been initialized, we are ready to solve the simulation. Go to Solution > Run
Calculation. Change Number of Iterations to 3700 as shown in Figure 23, then double click
Calculate. Wait until Fluent spits out a converged solution and calculation complete screen
shows up on the screen.
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Figure 23.
Wait until Fluent spits out a converged solution and calculation complete screen shows up on
the screen as shown in Figure 24.
Figure 24.
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Table 1. Summary of parameters settings.
Inviscid
Type of airfoil NACA 4412
Analysis type 2D
Length of chord 1m
Dimensions of fluid Radius of semicircle (front) – 7 m
volume (C-Mesh domain) Horizontal length of rectangular block (back) – 14 m
MESH (Mesh Statistics)
Nodes 124614
Elements 124070
Edge Sizing
Number of divisions 250
Behavior Hard
Bias type No bias
Edge Sizing 2
Number of divisions 5
Behavior Hard
Bias type No bias
SETUP (double precision and series processor)
Solver Density based
Convergence absolute 1e-06
criteria
Number of iterations 3700
BOUNDARY
CONDITION
Gauge pressure at inlet and 0
outlet
Velocity inlet magnitude 2 m/s
Angle of attack (degree) 8°
Density (kg/m )3 Ideal gas
Results
Table 2. Coefficient of Lift and Coefficient of Drag Values Obtained with InviscidModel
Angle of attack CL CD
8° 1.4494 0.0095451
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Figure 25. Convergence of CL Plot against Number of Iterations.
Figure 26. Convergence of CD Plot against Number of Iterations.
Figure 27. Convergence of Residual Plots against Number of Iterations
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➢ Contours
Figure 28. Contour of Pressure.
Figure 29. Contour of velocity.
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Figure 30. Velocity vectors.
Conclusion
In brief, the flow of NACA airfoil can be simulated in every way possible depending
on user input parameters using FLUENT. Multiple problems can be solved without the need
of building a physical setup every time for testing, thus cost effective. It also can provide better
understanding and explanation through graphics and animation such as the Bernoulli’s
principle as the airfoil travels in a fluid medium with varying angle of attack. However, more
improvement is needed for calculating drag coefficient as it has high error percentage from the
experimental data.
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CLO-1: Modelling and analysis to find pressure distribution, velocity distribution, Lift
coefficient and drag coefficient. PLO-5 (P3)
Rubric 1
Marks CLO1 – Level P3 mapped to PLO5 (Modern Engineering Tools )
02 Modelling and analysis is not carried out accurately. Analysis of key
features like pressure distribution, velocity distribution, Lift coefficient
and drag coefficient are also not accurate
05 Modelling and analysis is carried out accurately with major mistakes
Analysis of key features like pressure distribution, velocity distribution,
Lift coefficient and drag coefficient are also not accurate.
07 Modelling and analysis is carried out accurately with some minor mistakes.
Analysis of key features like pressure distribution, velocity distribution,
Lift coefficient and drag coefficient are done with some minor mistakes.
10 Modelling and analysis is carried out accurately. Analysis of key features
like pressure distribution, velocity distribution, Lift coefficient and drag
coefficient are carried out accurately.
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