Available at: https://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/theses/3308
Date of Award
6-2026
Degree Name
MS in Aerospace Engineering
Department/Program
Aerospace Engineering
College
College of Engineering
Advisor
David Marshall
Advisor Department
Aerospace Engineering
Advisor College
College of Engineering
Abstract
Panel codes were some of the earliest methods for computing the flow around aircraft. Despite the availability of higher fidelity CFD methods, panel methods remain an essential tool for the development of modern aircraft, allowing engineers to quickly iterate during the conceptual design phase.
This work develops and implements a high order panel method using Python. The wake is modeled using vortex particles, resulting in an accurate wake representation with minimal user input. The integration of the higher order singularity distributions has been extended to include the calculation of the velocity gradients necessary for the vortex particle implementation. The use of Python and the implementation of high order panel distributions provides a framework for future students to build upon.
The components of this work are validated with comparisons to available analytic and numerical solutions. Results for lifting flows are verified with comparisons to existing panel codes including AVL, OpenVSP, and CPanel, and show strong agreement with these results.