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Description
This study investigates high-Reynolds-number flow around a cantilevered ellipsoid using steady Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes simulations. The focus is on how near-wall mesh resolution and wall-function treatment affect the predicted flow. Unlike sharp-edged bluff bodies, for which separation is largely fixed by geometric discontinuities, the separation location on a smoothly curved body depends on the development of the surface boundary layer and the imposed pressure gradient. The cantilevered ellipsoid therefore provides a relevant canonical geometry for evaluating the interaction between grid resolution, wall modeling, and curvature-controlled separation at high Reynolds number.
A systematic numerical investigation is performed using steady RANS simulations over a range of near-wall resolutions, characterized by the first-cell height, y+. The effect is assessed through surface pressure and wall-shear distributions, separation and reattachment locations and wake topology.
The study clarifies which flow quantities are most sensitive to near-wall resolution and distinguishes errors associated with wall modeling from those caused by insufficient resolution of the separated shear layers and wake.
| Topic Area | Wind Engineering and Industrial Aerodynamics |
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