Finite element computation of unsteady viscous transonic flows past stationary airfoils (Q1129561)

We compute unsteady viscous transonic flows past a stationary NACA0012 airfoil at various angles of attack. The Reynolds number, based on the chord-length of the airfoil, is 10,000 and the Mach number is 0.85. Stabilized finite element formulations are emploved to solve the compressible Navier-Stokes equations. The equation systems, resulting from the discretization, are solved iteratively by using the preconditioned GMRES technique. Time integration of the governing equations is carried out for large values of the non-dimensional time to understand the unsteady dynamics and long-term behavior of the flows. The results show a complex interaction between the boundary/shear layers, shock/expansion waves and the lateral boundaries of the computational domain.