超音速旅客機開発における数値流体力学シミュレーション(シミュレーションの世界)  [in Japanese] Computational Fluid Dynamic Simulation in the Development of Supersonic Transport  [in Japanese]

Two leading edge research projects on next generation SST (supersonic transport) are presented from the viewpoint of simulation technology in aerodynamics. They aim the development of environmental conscious SST that has high energy efficiency and low noise. One is JAXA's (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) NEXST project and the other is a Biplane SST project that started at the Tohoku University. In both projects, CFD simulation is regarded as an important tool to develop high performance aircraft. In the NEXST project, it is one of the major objectives to enhance and refine CFD design techniques and construct a virtual design system in computers. Therefore an aerodynamic inverse problem design system has been developed and a natural laminar wing has been successfully designed by the design system. In the Biplane SST project, almost of the all ideas about a biplane has been examined by CFD simulation. The project shows CFD enables a researcher to build an innovative but unconventional airplane. He (She) can do many investigations to check its concept and refine the idea without wind tunnel experimental cost.