Call for Master’s thesis project

Thesis Title: Aero Database generation by CFD of J-29 Aircraft for Flight Simulation

Time & Place: at Airinnova/KTH-PDC Center, 5 months starting from September/October 2019

Context & Work Description:

The SAAB J29 with maiden flight in 1948 was one of the first swept wing fighters in active service.

Its maneuverability and max. maneuver speed as well as stability at low speed was improved in the later F-version by adding a sawtooth and leading edge fence on the wing. Exactly why and how this modification worked is not clear, but recent CFD studies have given indications pointing to flow separation over the ailerons as a key ingredient. These studies should be expanded so a database of forces and moments over much of the flight envelope can be compiled. There was never a flight simulator for the J29, and there is now also an interest to make one since the J29 is a landmark in aviation history. In a sentence, the Master’s thesis work comprises:

Generation of the aero dataset for the Saab J-29 aircraft series (A-wing and F-wing configurations) for flight simulation using RANS CFD software SU2.

The tasks include:

  1. Mesh generation using Pointwise from existing CAD models:
    • Mesh generation for the clean wing aircraft.
    • Mesh generation for the aircraft with control surfaces.
  2. CFD analysis using SU2 (https://su2code.github.io/)
    • The CFD analysis will be carried out on the HPC at KTH-PDC Center.
    • The CFD analysis will cover the cruise and also the manoeuvring (with control surfaces deflected). No taking-off and landing phrases.
    • The aero dataset for the two types of the wings (A-wing and F-wing) of J-29 aircraft will both be simulated.
    • The aero dataset will be sent to flight simulator (decide later) to fly virtually.

Goals of this project:

J-29 aircraft with F-wing design (with saw-tooth and fence) is supposed to have better stall properties and aileron effectiveness than the A-wing design. CFD will be used to verify it, and the design can also be verified via flight simulation.

About Airinnova AB:

Airinnova AB was founded in 2015 in Stockholm and is a spin-off from KTH. It focuses on providing the cutting-edge aircraft design technology, mainly about computational aerodynamics and multi-disciplinary optimization. It is currently actively involved in European research projects, engineering training and software development for aerospace applications. It can provide reliable solutions in computational aerodynamics and has close collaboration with KTH-PDC Center.

What we can provide for this thesis work:

  1. Full supervision from experts and professors in the field of computational aerodynamics and high performance computing from Airinnova and KTH-PDC Center with discussion on a daily/weekly basis;
  2. Opportunities to perform calculations using Sweden’s best HPC;
  3. Office inside KTH campus;
  4. International collaboration possibility (CFSE-Lausanne, AirBus-Männchen etc) if satisfied work is performed.

Who we want/the skills you need to have:

  1. A master student who is in her/his last year and expects a master thesis project;
  2. A master student with computational fluid dynamics, or numerical simulation background;
  3. Well knowledge in mesh generation software and CFD software, knowing SU2 and/or Pointwise is a merit;
  4. Good English skills in both speaking and writing (non-European students should provide English level certificate)

Please send your CV, cover letter and the latest transcripts to Mengmeng Zhang, mengmeng.zhang@airinnova.se. If you have any questions about this thesis work, please contact Mengmeng Zhang at mengmeng.zhang@airinnova.se.