Enhancing Missile Aerodynamic Predictions through Comparative CFD Model Assessment

บทคัดย่อ

Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) has become an increasingly crucial tool in defense engineering, particularly for analyzing the performance of modern rockets and missiles to enhance their precision, range, stability, and establish a technological edge. While wind tunnel testing provides reliable data, the immense cost constraints necessitate the urgent application of CFD to advance missile research and development. This research aims to comparatively assess the computational performance of principal turbulence models: Shear Stress Transport k-ω (SST), Realizable k-ε (RKE), Spalart-Allmaras (SA) and the recent Generalized k-ω (GEKO). The objective is to predict the aerodynamic characteristics of a supersonic missile through flow simulations conducted under various angles of attack and velocities. The findings indicate that the GEKO turbulence model yields the highest accuracy, attributed to its flexible parameter tuning capability. It demonstrated significantly less deviation from experimental data compared to the widely used SST k-ω model, while other models still face specific physical limitations. The approach proposed by this research thus forms a crucial foundation for selecting mission-appropriate turbulence models, thereby reducing reliance on costly physical testing and fostering further advancements in aerospace engineering within the defense industry.