On the 5th and 6th April a UKAAC Conference was held at the University of Loughborough. The aim of the conference was to
present results from research undertaken on HPCx to an audience of leading academic researchers and key representatives
from industry, particularly from the Aerodynamics National Advisory Committee (ANAC), and highlight the work within an
international context.
Keynote presentations included speakers from NASA, U.S. Air Force, and SGI, and industry was well represented by delegates
from BAE, MBDA, Rolls-Royce, QinetiQ, Airbus, and ARA.
The sessions over the two days of the conference covered the following 6 themes:
1. High Fidelity Simulation of Helicopter Interactions
2. Simulation of a free flying flexible aircraft
3. Simulation of Vertical Landing Aircraft
4. Aeroelasticity studies for aero-engine core-compressors
5. Simulation of Internal Air System
6. Simulation of Store Separation
A number of these themes were prompted by the Defence Aerospace and Research Partnerships (DARPS). These are industry-led
university-based partnerships that focus on important areas of aeronautics research and are supported by EPSRC, DTI and MOD,
and industrial companies. Many of the consortium partners have research programmes that are funded through the DARPS and areas
that could benefit substantially are the Programme for Unsteady Aerodynamic Modelling (PUMA) and Rotorcraft DARPs.
Many interesting and challenging applications of aerodynamics were demonstrated, including abrupt wing stall behaviour
in an F/A-18E fighter, uncontrolled aircraft spin in an F15-E, helicopter rotor vortex interactions, space shuttle booster
flow simulation, and hot-gas ingestion simulations during vertical take-off and landing of the Harrier aircraft.
Representatives from EPSRC and CCLRC Daresbury Laboratory addressed the audience on computational developments including
the Hector procurement, the current challenges facing HPC and an introduction to novel technology solutions.
The final afternoon of the conference involved presentations from several of the ANAC sub-committees on national priorities
and strategies for aerodynamics. Concluding the conference was a panel discussion on suggested themes for the future UK applied
aerodynamics consortium, chaired by its new PI, Nick Hills.