CFX Study on Fuselage Design for SAE Aero Plane

In selecting the fuselage shape, the aerodynamic and manufacturing characteristics were a priority. From the 3D CAD models on SolidWorks, I created a 2D plane of the fluid surface around the model. This 2D domain was then meshed on ANSYS, paying particular attention to the edges on the actual fuselage model and further refining the mesh by adding Sizings and Refinements. The plane was then analyzed in FLUENT, setting the air velocity (of flight) at 17 mph and using the k-Epsilon equations for solving. By running the analyses, the fuselage shape was improved, by rounding out the taper near the rear region, reducing the turbulence and improving the velocity distribution by approximately 12%.