Abstract: A virtual wind tunnel is developed by combining a fast, time-stepping flow solver with an interactive animation interface. Inviscid, incompressible flow solutions are provided by an unsteady, potential-flow code with arbitrary airfoils undergoing forced or aeroelastic motions. Aeroelastic response is predicted by a two-degree-of-freedom spring/mass system modeling the structural dynamics of a flexible wing. A boundary layer code may be used to predict viscous flow effects such as transition and the onset of flow separation. The aeroelastic algorithm is coupled with an interactive graphical animation front end, enabling visualization and measurement of the unsteady wake and surrounding flow field. To further enhance the virtual wind tunnel look and feel, an assortment of tools is provided to mimic smoke/dye-injection, wake-vorticity tagging and flow anemometry. The complete package is used both as a research and an instructional tool, providing insight into the complex, unsteady vortical structures behind moving airfoils. Solutions compare well with experimental data while the animation allows a more thorough investigation of the development and evolution of the wake structures in time.

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