Estimation of unsteady aerodynamic forces using pointwise velocity data

TL;DR

This paper introduces a new resolvent-based reduced-order model to estimate unsteady aerodynamic forces from pointwise velocity data, enabling accurate predictions with computational efficiency.

Contribution

It presents a novel, computationally affordable method for estimating unsteady aerodynamic forces using flow structures calibrated by pointwise measurements.

Findings

Good agreement with direct numerical simulation results

Effective estimation of unsteady lift and drag coefficients

Applicable to complex flow domains

Abstract

A novel method to estimate unsteady aerodynamic force coefficients from pointwise velocity measurements is presented. The methodology is based on a resolvent-based reduced-order model which requires the mean flow to obtain physical flow structures and pointwise measurement to calibrate their amplitudes. A computationally-affordable time-stepping methodology to obtain resolvent modes in non-trivial flow domains is introduced and compared to previous existing matrix-free and matrix-forming strategies. The technique is applied to the unsteady flow around an inclined square cylinder at low Reynolds number. The potential of the methodology is demonstrated through good agreement between the fluctuating pressure distribution on the cylinder and the temporal evolution of the unsteady lift and drag coefficients predicted by the model and those computed by direct numerical simulation.