Research & Development

JAXA promotes three research and development programs and a fundamental research program that underpins them.

Development of the world’s fastest high-efficiency CFD tool

High-efficiency CFD tools developed by JAXA (HexaGrid/FaSTAR) are widely used in various fields and chosen for their superior automation and high-speed computation capabilities that are unparalleled throughout the world. These tools have been incorporated into our Digital/Analog-Hybrid Wind Tunnel (DAHWIN) as well to boost the efficiency of wind-tunnel testing.
In this study, we aim to build user-friendly simulation tools that enhance the reliability of verifications performed with simulation tools, increase usability by adding more functions, and improve operability through a graphical user interface (GUI).

Fast unstructured-grid flow solver "FaSTAR"

FaSTAR is a world-leading highly efficient CFD tool developed by JAXA. It is an unstructured-grid compressible flow solver, which is suitable for use in the aerodynamic analysis of aircraft and spacecraft. We have successfully carried out the world’s most advanced high-speed computation using an efficient data structure and multigrid convergence acceleration.

Pressure distribution over aircraft surfaces computed by FaSTAR

Hexahedral automatic grid generation tool "HexaGrid"

In order to understand flow physics, we start with grid generation to divide a computational space into a number of small domains. HexaGrid is a tool for automatically generating a hexahedral unstructured grid. It can generate a grid for civil aircraft in one or two hours (see the figure below for an example of a generated grid), which took us one or two months to generate using manual grid generation. Moreover, we demonstrated that the CFD results using automatic grid generation are almost identical to those of conventional manual grid generation.

Grid generated by HexaGrid

Common platform aerodynamic simulation tool “FaSTAR-Move”

FaSTAR-Move is an enhanced version of FaSTAR, the world’s fastest fluid flow solver developed by JAXA. Analysis capability of FaSTAR-Move can be extended by combining modules. We are developing new modules, such as a “moving/deforming object simulation module” that enables simulation of payload separation and structural interaction, and an “engine simulation module” that enables thermal interaction simulation of the blade rows of aircraft engine fans, compressors, and turbines, thereby enabling fast CFD analysis of complex structures.

Going forward, we will develop a CFD tool that can predict any aerodynamic conditions, whether steady or unsteady, and support its application to the development of next-generation aircraft.

March 30, 2020

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