Applicability of Quadratic Constitutive Relations for Turbulent Flow Simulations in Aeronautics

This study investigates the applicability of quadratic constitutive relations (QCRs) for turbulent flow simulations in aeronautics. The capability of QCRs is evaluated by analyzing several different large-eddy simulation (LES) databases of high-Reynolds number flows consisting of pressure gradients, flow separation/reattachment, three-dimensionality, and detached large-scale flow motions. The results of the validation studies consistently indicate that QCR2024 and QCR2021 robustly achieve better representation of the Reynolds stress anisotropy in attached boundary layers and the near-body part of separated shear layers than QCR2000. The results also highlight the challenge of QCRs in modeling large-scale flow motions in off-body flows and the near-wall part of reattaching boundary layers, for which a hybrid RANS-LES simulation is expected to be more suitable.