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Aerospace
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Fluid Flow Mechanics (4th Edition)
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Fluid Flow Mechanics (4th Edition)

A special issue of Aerospace (ISSN 2226-4310).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 October 2025 | Viewed by 3768

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Pietro Catalano

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Fluid Mechanics Unit, Fluid Dynamic Model Lab, Italian Aerospace Research Centre, Via Maiorise, 81043 Capua, Italy
Interests: turbulence modelling for RANS and LES methods; transition modelling; numerical methods for flow control; drag reduction devices
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Authors are encouraged to submit technical papers in the area of theoretical and computational fluid dynamics relevant to aerospace applications. The focus should be on applied research and advanced modelling and technology developments. Papers providing a comparison between reliable numerical results and certified experimental data are highly encouraged. The main topics that we expect to cover include the following:

  • Low-speed and low-Reynolds-number aerodynamics: flows that exhibit laminar separation bubbles and modelling issues connected to bubble length, pressure recovery in the re-attachment region, and turbulence levels inside bubbles.
  • Martian aerodynamics: modelling issues related to the aerodynamics of vehicles operating in the Martian environment. The very low atmospheric pressure and density, together with low temperatures, means that flight in Mars’ atmosphere is characterized by low Reynolds and high Mach numbers simultaneously—a circumstance that seldom occurs on Earth. 
  • Flow control: actuators, applications, and flow physics: flow control techniques for avoiding/mitigating separation, reducing aerodynamic drag, and reducing aerodynamic noise.
  • Flow instability and laminar–turbulent transition: modelling and simulation of flow instabilities and models that predict boundary-layer transitions for RANS equations. 
  • Hybrid RANS/LES models: turbulence modelling through hybrid RANS/LES methods, zonal and non-zonal approaches, gray-area mitigation issues, turbulence length scale and switching filters, and wall-modelled large-eddy simulations.   

Dr. Pietro Catalano
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Aerospace is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • turbulence modelling
  • computational fluid dynamics
  • laminar separation bubbles
  • separation
  • transition

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Related Special Issues

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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35 pages, 6742 KiB  
Article
Evaluation of Third-Order Weighted Essentially Non-Oscillatory Scheme Within Implicit Large Eddy Simulation Framework Using OpenFOAM
by Zhuoneng Li and Zeeshan A. Rana
Aerospace 2025, 12(2), 108; https://doi.org/10.3390/aerospace12020108 - 31 Jan 2025
Viewed by 874
Abstract
The current study investigates the performance of implicit Large Eddy Simulation (iLES) incorporating an unstructured third-order Weighted Essentially Non-Oscillatory (WENO) reconstruction method, alongside conventional Large Eddy Simulation (LES) using the Wall-Adapting Local Eddy Viscosity (WALE) model, for wall-bounded flows. Specifically, iLES is applied [...] Read more.
The current study investigates the performance of implicit Large Eddy Simulation (iLES) incorporating an unstructured third-order Weighted Essentially Non-Oscillatory (WENO) reconstruction method, alongside conventional Large Eddy Simulation (LES) using the Wall-Adapting Local Eddy Viscosity (WALE) model, for wall-bounded flows. Specifically, iLES is applied to the flow around a NACA0012 airfoil at a Reynolds number which involves key flow phenomena such as laminar separation, transition to turbulence, and flow reattachment. Simulations are conducted using the open-source computational fluid dynamics package OpenFOAM, with a second-order implicit Euler scheme for time integration and the Pressure-Implicit Splitting Operator (PISO) algorithm for pressure–velocity coupling. The results are compared against direct numerical simulation (DNS) for the same flow conditions. Key metrics, including the pressure coefficient and reattached turbulent velocity profiles, show excellent agreement between the iLES and DNS reference results. However, both iLES and LES predict a thinner separation bubble in the transitional flow region then DNS. Notably, the iLES approach achieved a 35% reduction in mesh resolution relative to wall-resolving LES, and a 70% reduction relative to DNS, while maintaining satisfactory accuracy. The study also captures detailed instantaneous flow evolution on the airfoil’s upper surface, with evidence suggesting that three-dimensional disturbances arise from interactions between separating boundary layers near the trailing edge. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fluid Flow Mechanics (4th Edition))
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12 pages, 1147 KiB  
Article
Normal Shock Waves in Chemically Reacting Flows with Exothermic and Endothermic Reactions Under High-Temperature Conditions
by Andriy A. Avramenko, Igor V. Shevchuk, Margarita M. Kovetskaya, Yulia Y. Kovetska, Andrii I. Tyrinov and Dmytro V. Anastasiev
Aerospace 2025, 12(2), 91; https://doi.org/10.3390/aerospace12020091 - 26 Jan 2025
Viewed by 687
Abstract
This article theoretically investigates the interaction of a normal shock wave in a flow with chemical reactions under high-temperature conditions. The main novelty of the work is that the thermal effect of chemical reactions is modeled as a function of the temperature. A [...] Read more.
This article theoretically investigates the interaction of a normal shock wave in a flow with chemical reactions under high-temperature conditions. The main novelty of the work is that the thermal effect of chemical reactions is modeled as a function of the temperature. A modified Rankine–Hugoniot model for a shock wave in a flow with chemical reactions has been developed. It is shown that for an exothermic reaction the pressure jump increases with increasing Arrhenius numbers. This is due to the additional energy introduced into the flow as heat is released during the chemical reaction. For endothermic reactions, the opposite trend is observed. The change in the speed of the adiabatic gas flow as it passes through a normal shock wave depending on the type of chemical reaction is clarified. The study provides comparisons between the results of the analytical and numerical solutions of the modified Hugoniot adiabatic equations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fluid Flow Mechanics (4th Edition))
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16 pages, 16640 KiB  
Article
Experimental Study of Steady Blowing from the Trailing Edge of an Open Cavity Flow
by Naser Al Haddabi, Konstantinos Kontis and Hossein Zare-Behtash
Aerospace 2025, 12(1), 7; https://doi.org/10.3390/aerospace12010007 - 26 Dec 2024
Viewed by 764
Abstract
Cavity flows have a wide range of low-speed applications (M≤0.3), such as aircraft wheel wells, ground transportations, and pipelines. They induce strong flow oscillations which can substantially increase noise, drag, vibration, and lead to structural fatigue. In the current [...] Read more.
Cavity flows have a wide range of low-speed applications (M≤0.3), such as aircraft wheel wells, ground transportations, and pipelines. They induce strong flow oscillations which can substantially increase noise, drag, vibration, and lead to structural fatigue. In the current study, a steady jet was forced from the cavity trailing edge with different momentum fluxes (J = 0.11 kg/m·s2, 0.44 kg/m·s2, and 0.96 kg/m·s2). The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of the steady jet on the time-averaged flow field and the cavity separated shear layer oscillations for an open cavity with a length-to-depth ratio of L/D=4 at Reθ=1.28×103. Particle image velocimetry, surface oil flow visualisation, constant temperature anemometry, and pressure measurements were performed. The study found that increasing the jet momentum flux caused a significant increase in thickness and deflection of the cavity separated shear layer. Due to the counterflow interaction between the jet and cavity separated shear layer, the growth rate (dδω/dx) of the cavity separated shear layer increased significantly from 0.193 for the no-jet case to 0.273 for the J = 0.96 kg/m·s2 case. As a result, the return flow rate increased, causing the separation point on the cavity floor to shift upstream from x/L≈0.2 for the no-jet case to x/L≈0.1 for the J = 0.96 kg/m·s2 case. Furthermore, increasing the jet momentum flux increased the broadband level of the cavity separated shear layer oscillations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fluid Flow Mechanics (4th Edition))
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Review

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25 pages, 14078 KiB  
Review
A Review of Simulations and Machine Learning Approaches for Flow Separation Analysis
by Xueru Hao, Xiaodong He, Zhan Zhang and Juan Li
Aerospace 2025, 12(3), 238; https://doi.org/10.3390/aerospace12030238 - 14 Mar 2025
Viewed by 1064
Abstract
Flow separation is a fundamental phenomenon in fluid mechanics governed by the Navier–Stokes equations, which are second-order partial differential equations (PDEs). This phenomenon significantly impacts aerodynamic performance in various applications across the aerospace sector, including micro air vehicles (MAVs), advanced air mobility, and [...] Read more.
Flow separation is a fundamental phenomenon in fluid mechanics governed by the Navier–Stokes equations, which are second-order partial differential equations (PDEs). This phenomenon significantly impacts aerodynamic performance in various applications across the aerospace sector, including micro air vehicles (MAVs), advanced air mobility, and the wind energy industry. Its complexity arises from its nonlinear, multidimensional nature, and is further influenced by operational and geometrical parameters beyond Reynolds number (Re), making accurate prediction a persistent challenge. Traditional models often struggle to capture the intricacies of separated flows, requiring advanced simulation and prediction techniques. This review provides a comprehensive overview of strategies for enhancing aerodynamic design by improving the understanding and prediction of flow separation. It highlights recent advancements in simulation and machine learning (ML) methods, which utilize flow field databases and data assimilation techniques. Future directions, including physics-informed neural networks (PINNs) and hybrid frameworks, are also discussed to improve flow separation prediction and control further. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fluid Flow Mechanics (4th Edition))
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