A Method for Evaluation of Aerodynamic Lift and Drag Based on Statistical Mechanics

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel statistical mechanics-based method called 'Volume-Element' for evaluating aerodynamic lift and drag, addressing limitations of traditional CFD by incorporating molecular randomness.

Contribution

The paper presents a new approach that integrates statistical mechanics into aerodynamic evaluation, applicable to various airfoil shapes and extendable to quantum gases.

Findings

Pressure and friction data obtained for flat-plate airfoils.

Method applicable to convex and concave airfoils with Monte Carlo simulations.

Potential for broader applications in gases and fluid dynamics.

Abstract

Despite intensive applications of Navier-Stokes equations in computational-fluid-dynamics (CFD) to understand aerodynamics, fundamental questions remain open since the statistical nature of discrete air molecules with random thermal motion is not considered in CFD. Here we introduce an approach based on Statistical Mechanics, termed as "Volume-Element" method, for numerical evaluation of aerodynamic lift and drag. Pressure and friction as a function of angle of attack have been obtained for canonical flat-plate airfoils, and the method is applicable to convex-shape airfoils directly and viable for concave-shape airfoils if combined with Monte Carlo simulations. This approach opens a door not only for aerodynamic applications, but also for further applications in Boson or Fermi gases.