Characterization of a Vortex Wake Model

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© 2025, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Inc, AIAA. All rights reserved.This study aims to develop a computationally efficient numerical model to describe the vortex wake generated by a T-27 Tucano aircraft. The model is intended for future integration into the Variable Stability Simulator at the Flight Test and Research Institute (IPEV) and the training simulators at the Brazilian Air Force Academy (AFA). These applications seek to include a realistic aerodynamic model to improve the fidelity of formation flight simulations, contributing to the enhancement of training techniques and operational safety for both flight test pilots and cadets of the Brazilian Air Force (FAB). The algorithms were developed by integrating the circulation distribution results obtained from potential flow calculations using the panel method applied to an aircraft model into a Vortex Filament Method (VFM). This approach was adapted with the Burnham-Hallock (B-H) vortex model and combined with propulsion results derived from Goldstein and Theodorsen’s helical vortex sheet model for propellers. The integration enabled the generation of a complete velocity field at any point in space, allowing not only the calculation of the wake produced by a large formation of aircraft but also the downstream spatial evolution of the wake in a non-stationary model.

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