Aerodynamic characteristics of a two-dimensional airfoil with ground effect

The effect of Reynolds number on the aerodynamic characteristics of an airfoil with ground effect in viscous flow is investigated by numerical method. A numerical scheme, based on the standard k-e turbulence model, generalized body-fixed coordinates and the finite volume method, is developed to solve the two-dimensional wing-in-ground problem hi viscous flow. The steady, incompressible Navier-Stokes equations are solved using a grid generation program developed by the authors, and the PHOENICS code. Some numerical results are presented to show the effects of Reynolds number, ground clearance, and angles of attack on the aerodynamic characteristics of a NACA 4412 airfoil.