No abstract

No abstract

With the growth in computational power and the availability of maturing software, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) is crossing the threshold from a specialized discipline to a widely accessible tool. Specifically, the difficulty of the enabling mathematics and the challenge of mastering the available codes has heretofore restricted substantial application of CFD to graduate studies, or simplistic problems for undergraduates. Codes now available from commercial, academic and government sources seek to improve the accessibility of CFD and its utility to a wide range of applications.NASA advertises the TetrUSS CFD system, developed and maintained by NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC), as "CFD for the non-expert user." Modules of the TetrUSS system provide graphical interfaces for the development of unstructured grids about surface definitions imported from common CAD tools, and the solution of a viscous flow within the grided volume. While in use by many expert CFD users, NASA's expressed intent is to equip non-expert users interested in CFD's product rather than its process. This paper chronicles the "non-expert" experience of an advanced undergraduate researcher and his faculty advisor in applying these tools to a complex, full-configuration aircraft for the purpose of analyzing a flight dynamics problem. Comments are provided on the adequacy of the available training, the ease of use of the ensemble of modules, the requisite academic preparation, and the quality of the results. Furthermore, the paper discusses both the present limitations for use in undergraduate settings, as well as viable applications.