Numerical simulation of separated and re-attached viscous fluid flows

Results are reported from numerical simulations of flow separation from the leading edges of blunt bodies of varying elongation. The method of Vaitiekunas et al. (1986) is applied to solve the Navier-Stokes equations, and a k-epsilon turbulence model is incorporated; the results are presented in extensive graphs and briefly characterized, with particular attention to the separation zone on the lateral surfaces of the bodies. The maximum separation length was found to be L/h = 7 for Reynolds number Re = 325 and L/h = 3.5-4 for Re greater than 30,000. The predicted reverse velocity inside the separation bubble was 30 percent of freestream velocity, in good agreement with published experimental data.