Working Within The Flow
Short Answer: Many engineers being celebrated this National Engineers Week that work in various engineering disciplines use computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to solve many design problems
Image 1: CFD programs such as this one help engineers get a better understanding of how their designs and future products might work under real-world conditions (Image Courtesy of Siemens AG)
The cars we drive on a windy road. The planes we fly in to get to different parts of the world. Yes, they use computer-aided design (CAD), but they also use another important piece of software. This software, unlike CAD, can help determine air flow around the car or plane. This software is commonly known as computational fluid dynamics (CFD).
CFD is used not just in airplane modeling or automotive design, but also in other air-related applications as well. CFD can be used to determine air flow in a room, which can be useful if the intended room is being designed to keep certain bacteria and contaminants out. Using CFD software from makers such as Ansys and Siemens can help engineers answer these questions.
Furthermore, CFD can be used to help building engineers engineer rooms that can prevent certain viruses like COVID-19 from entering a room. Being able to effectively engineer such rooms can improve patient outcomes in places such as medical facilities and hospitals.
Image 2: An example of CFD being used in a room (Image Courtesy of Price Industries)
Of course, CFD is used in automotive racing as well. For instance, Formula 1 (F1) race cars use extensive lift and drag force calculations and simulations to ensure they are able to go as fast as possible around a track and yet keep the car on the ground during high-speed turns and maneuvers. If the engineering team is not able to effectively use CFD in these kinds of scenarios to produce the best race car, this could potentially be the difference between a podium finishing car and a car that misses the podium altogether.
Image 3: An F1 car design undergoing a CFD simulation (Image Courtesy of ANSYS, Inc.)
Bottom Line: Because of CFD, engineers in various industries can understand how air flow can impact the efficiency of the products they plan to manufacture and how it can impact the products’ everyday safety and use
Image 4: A vehicle undergoing a CFD simulation to determine its aerodynamic profile (Image Courtesy of Mentor Graphics/WTWH Media, LLC)
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