Numerical simulation of ground vortex flow field of large transport aircraft

A three-dimensional model of a large transport aircraft equipped with turbofan engine was established to study the ground vortex. Numerical simulation method was used to simulate the ground vortex flow field under different wind speeds， directions and taxiing speeds. According to the results， the distribution characteristics and variation rules of the ground vortex flow field were obtained， and the matters needing attention in the aircraft operation were put forward. The results showed that， for this type of aircraft， the ground vortex mainly caused the inlet swirl flow distortion ， the total inlet pressure distortion was low， and the distortion index was kept between 1.1%− 1.7%. When the upwind speed was greater than 5 m/s， the ground vortex disappeared， and its intensity first increased and then decreased with the increase of wind speed. With the change of wind direction， the ground vortex structure changed constantly， and the nacelle on the downwind side was more likely to produce ground vortex. Under the taxiing condition， the intensity of ground vortex changed little， and there was no vortex suction when the taxiing speed reached 3 m/s. In practice， the working state of No.1 and No.4 engines with large swirl distortion should be observed when the engine was running on the ground. During taxiing， focus should be put on observing the foreign object damage of No.2 and No.3 engines with strong ground vortex suction capacity. © 2023 BUAA Press. All rights reserved.