Upgrade for aerodynamics package

Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team May 17, 2006

MultiSurface Aerodynamics is a Windows based software package for rapid aerodynamics conceptual and preliminary analysis and design of wings and other lifting surfaces.

Hanley Innovations has made a series of enhancements to its MultiSurface Aerodynamics package to improve its performance and modelling capabilities.

MultiSurface Aerodynamics is a Windows based software package for rapid aerodynamics conceptual and preliminary analysis and design of wings and other lifting surfaces.

MultiSurface Aerodynamics has been updated to allow mirror imaging in the x-z plane (at y=0).

This enhancement uses only half of the computational effort to analyse surfaces that use this plane as a reflective surface.

Applications include keel and rudder analysis, sail analysis, symmetrically loaded wings and simulating side wall effects.

Other features recently added to MultiSurface Aerodynamics include a new dihedral/anhedral function that allows the airfoil face at the left and right wing tips to be placed at any angle, a new "snap to" function (in the surface editor box) that quickly mates two surfaces and the capability to export a prototype part to a 3D-STL file.

Improvements have also been made to the airfoil selection and modification tool.

The tool allows users to select and modify an airfoil by clicking anywhere on its upper or lower surface.

Clicking on the upper surface with the left-mouse button causes the surface to increase while clicking with the right mouse button causes it to decrease.

When the airfoil surface is modified, MultiSurface Aerodynamics displays the new lift and drag coefficients along with the movement of the transition and separation points.

Users can visually modify an airfoil to make it more efficient.