Abstract: Numerical simulation of a tip vortex flow field is significant in alleviating the effect of the tip vortex. A model based on the Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) method is established to simulate the tip vortex flow field behind a 3D wing. The turbulence models selected include two classic two-equation models and one explicit algebraic Reynolds stress model. The calculation contains the velocity distribution, pressure distribution and the vortex core location of the tip vortex flow field. To consider the effect of system rotation and streamline curvature, a rotation-curvature correction is adopted to each turbulence model. Mesh refinement is applied to the area of the tip vortex core in simulation. Numerical results show that the corrected eddy viscosity turbulence models agree well with experiment results in velocity and pressure distribution and vortex core location. Compared with the unmodified versions, they exhibited remarkable improvement in predicting turbulence induced diffusion.

Key words: turbulence model, rotation-curvature correction, tip vortex, numerical simulation, vortex core