aerospace

Novel methods for the computationally efficient simulation of compressible fluid flow will be developed, with applications to aerospace and space physics. First, new formulations of multigrid techniques for the implicit solution of time-dependent flows will be studied, using parabolization to increase diagonal dominance and solution efficiency. Second, new direct solution methods for steady transonic flows will be developed, employing dynamical systems and characteristic analysis.

This project aims to develop state-of-the-art mathematical tools for the aerospace industry to aid in the design of more efficient aircraft. Such tools have the potential to greatly reduce the time and cost associated with the design of new aircraft, thus providing a competitive advantage to the industry. In the past year, the team made considerable progress in the development of a three-dimensional aerodynamic shape optimization algorithm. Important improvements were made to the algorithms under development, leading to improved accuracy, efficiency, and applicability.