Turbulence Models as a Teaching Tool in Engineering Courses

Abstract

The development and use of models is a central practice in scientific disciplines. However, in engineering training, the scope and limitations of the models applied are often not discussed in depth. This is a particularly important problem for the study of complex phenomena such as turbulence. In this work, we propose a pedagogical approach implemented in the Fluid Mechanics course of the Mechanical Engineering program. In this approach, students first develop internal flow simulations using Direct Numerical Simulation (DNS) on structured meshes and then address a wing profile aerodynamics problem using Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations with unstructured meshes. Throughout these experiences, critical reflection is encouraged on the physical hypotheses that support the model, the mathematical approximations used to close the equations, and the meshing decisions that affect the numerical solution. The results show that students move from viewing Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) as a black box to considering it as a learning tool, while acquiring a deeper understanding of the interrelationship between the phenomenon, the model, and the solution method for closed problems.