Simulation of the Transonic Truss-Braced Wing High-Lift Configuration at Mach 0.2 using USM3D-Mixed Element Solver

Numerical simulations for the high-lift configuration of the Transonic Truss-Braced Wing (TTBW) are carried out using the USM3D-ME flow solver with unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (URANS) turbulence models at a Mach Number of 0.20 and a chord Reynolds number of 0.98x106. Results from numerical simulations are compared against a wind-tunnel experiment carried out in the 14-by 22-Foot Subsonic Wind Tunnel at the NASA Langley Research Center. Results indicate that the simulations are in close agreement with experimental data for low angles of attack. However, significant discrepancies between experiment and simulations are observed at high angles of attack near the stall region. The largest deviation from experimental data occurs outboard of the strut-wing intersection, where flow separation is observed. It is concluded that although industry-standard RANS models are able to predict flow features associated with a high-lift configuration with some accuracy, improved turbulence models with scale-resolving capabilities should be considered, especially in the stall and post-stall region.