Patent ID: 8457939
Filing Date: 2013-06-04
Classification: G06F,G16C,Y02T

Abstract:
1. A computer-implemented method of generating a fluid-flow simulation over a computer-generated aircraft surface, the computer-generated aircraft surface comprised of a surface mesh of surface mesh polygons, the method comprising: obtaining a fluid-flow mesh for simulating a fluid flow over the aircraft surface, the fluid-flow mesh comprising a plurality of fluid cells; determining at least one inviscid fluid property for each of the fluid cells using an inviscid fluid simulation that does not simulate fluid viscous effects; identifying a set of intersecting fluid cells of the plurality of fluid cells that intersects the aircraft surface; identifying at least one surface mesh polygon of the surface mesh for at least one intersecting fluid cell of the set of intersecting fluid cells, wherein a number of the identified surface mesh polygons is fewer than a total number of surface mesh polygons that are intersected by the at least one intersecting fluid cell; determining a boundary-layer prediction point for each identified surface mesh polygon; determining at least one boundary-layer fluid property for each boundary-layer prediction point using the at least one inviscid fluid property of the corresponding intersecting fluid cell and a boundary-layer simulation that simulates fluid viscous effects; and determining at least one updated fluid property for at least one fluid cell of the plurality of fluid cells using the at least one boundary-layer fluid property and the inviscid fluid simulation.