Developing Practical CFD Skills for Undergraduate Researchers

Author(s) Information

Max Koerner, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis ObispoFollow
Sebastian Macias-Gonzalez, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis ObispoFollow

College - Author 1

College of Engineering

Department - Author 1

Aerospace Engineering Department

College - Author 2

College of Engineering

Department - Author 2

Aerospace Engineering Department

Advisor

David Marshall, College of Engineering, Aerospace Engineering

Funding Source

Cal Poly Aerospace Engineering Department

Date

10-2025

Abstract/Summary

As the use of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) grows in the aerospace (and other engineering disciplines), the need for coursework, and in particular labs, that develop the appropriate CFD skills is growing. In the semester transition, the Aerospace Engineering Department will be offering an applied computational aerodynamics class that will have a heavy emphasis on practical CFD applications to realistic problems to be encountered by our students. This research activity will help develop labs that will be used to teach students how to use StarCCM+ (the department’s current commercial CFD tool) starting from simple geometries going up to complete airframes. The student(s) participating in this effort will not only gain insight on how to perform these types of analyses, they will also develop skills on how to systematically grow the complexity of an instructional activity so that the end product is a curriculum that provides a practical skill-set in applied CFD.

October 1, 2025.