Finite-wing induced drag distribution
Spanwise comparison of pressure-induced drag for a constant-chord wing at moderate incidence.
Validation approach
Accuracy
Thorough validation is essential for reliable CFD. ACE compares numerical approaches with experimental reference data on benchmark lifting-surface cases, from two-dimensional airfoils to finite-wing load distributions and unsteady dynamic-stall conditions.
Cd₀ = 0.0017 + 0.91 / log(Re)2.58
Clα = 0.1025 + 0.00485 log(Re / 106)
Clα = 0.1025 + 0.00485 log(Re / 106)
Representative benchmark cases
Reference cases include NACA 0012 drag and lift-curve behaviour, finite-wing measurements on NACA 0015 test articles, and dynamic-stall experiments on oscillating airfoils. These cases are used to assess both basic trends and more demanding unsteady responses.
The objective is not just to obtain a visually plausible flowfield, but to verify that the solver setup reproduces the quantities that matter for engineering decisions.
Validation examples
Representative comparisons between numerical results and reference measurements for finite-wing loading and oscillating-airfoil behaviour.
Finite-wing lift distribution
Comparison of numerical and reference lift loading along the span for the same validation case.
Dynamic-stall drag response
Unsteady drag evolution for an oscillating NACA 0012 airfoil across light-stall and deeper-stall conditions.
Lift response, oscillating-airfoil case
Time-resolved lift comparison through the oscillation cycle for a representative dynamic-stall condition.
Drag response, oscillating-airfoil case
Companion drag comparison for the same unsteady validation setup.
Lift response, reduced-frequency case
Comparison for a second oscillation regime used to assess solver behaviour over varying reduced frequency and stall intensity.