TRANAIR++ quick points

TRANAIR++ is designed to allow easy setup and usage compared to other CFD codes. TRANAIR++ was run 20,000 times in 2005 by over 60 engineers, most without extensive expertise in CFD. The optimization capability is the most general multi-point constrained aero-design capability available anywhere. A linearized time harmonic capability is included for flutter and unsteady applications.

If you expect only mild separation in your flow field, TRANAIR++ will probably give you very accurate answers. In many cases, TRANAIR++ can be calibrated for engineering use even in cases of significant separation or strong shocks. TRANAIR++ is particularly well suited for transonic and supersonic aircraft design and has even used successfully for some tightly coupled nacelle integration problems.

Inside TRANAIR++

Geometry Definition and Volume Mesh Generation
The numerical method used by TRANAIR++ automatically creates volume meshes based on the independently derived surface geometry. This allows the designer to concentrate on defining the geometry surfaces while not worry about how it will effect the creation of the volume mesh. The flow field is divided into locally refined cartesian grids.

Solution Adaptation and Optimization
The ability to concentrate cells in areas of high gradients and to decrease the number of cells in areas of small gradients allows TRANAIR++ to provide accurate as well as timely results. Adaptation is done automatically once TRANAIR++ is started. Users guide the process of adaptation by defining regions of interest and limits on the amount of adaptation.

Computed flow properties
The following list contains some of the flow properties calculated by TRANAIR++

• Surface Flow Properties
  • Pressure Coefficient
  • Velocity Components
  • Local Mach Number
  • Velocity Potential
  • Boundary Layer Parameters
• Drag Components
  • Wave Drag
  • Profile Drag
  • Induced Drag
• Stability & Control
  • C_Lα
  • C_Mα
  • C_Nβ
  • C_lβ
  • C_Ms (dC_M/dHorizontal)
  • C_Mde (dC_M/dElevator)
  • C_Ndr (dC_N/dRudder)
  • C_lda (dC_ldα/dAileron)

TRANAIR++ Design

A major goal while developing the design portion of TRANAIR++ was to make it as general and flexible as possible allowing diverse improvements for a large array of geometries. TRANAIR++ is capable of the traditional inverse (indirect) design method but it also provides the user with a much more powerful direct method of design. In the direct method of design the geometry specification and its allowable changes along with geometry and flow constraints and objective function are defined by the user. TRANAIR++ can be run in a multi-point design mode(the ability to design at multiple flight conditions simultaneously), helping to ensure that there are no supprises at the "off" design conditions.