CFDSim - Your CFD Assistant

A MATLAB tool that extracts airfoil boundaries from images and simulates fluid flow around them with optional rotation dynamics.

Technical Highlights

Key Algorithms

• Ramer-Douglas-Peucker (RDP): Line simplification for point reduction
• Projection method: Pressure-velocity coupling for incompressible flow
• Upwind differencing: Stable convection term treatment
• Adaptive time-stepping: CFL-based stability control

Visualization

• Custom colormap: Orange-purple gradient for velocity fields
• Multi-panel display: Simultaneous velocity, vorticity, pressure views
• Parameter dashboard: Real-time display of simulation metrics
• Force history plots: Live tracking of aerodynamic coefficients

Convergence Features

• Automatic termination: Based on force coefficient stabilization
• Residual monitoring: Velocity and pressure convergence tracking
• Performance optimization: Preallocated arrays for speed

Applications

• Aerodynamic analysis of arbitrary 2D shapes
• Educational tool for CFD and fluid dynamics
• Prototype testing for airfoil designs
• Fluid-structure interaction studies with rotation

File Requirements

• Main script: airfoil_cfd_tool.m (this file)
• Supporting data: splash_data.mat (contains splash screen image)

System Requirements

• MATLAB: R2018b or later recommended
• Toolboxes: Image Processing Toolbox required
• Memory: ≥4GB RAM (≥8GB for large meshes)
• Screen resolution: ≥1368×788 for proper GUI display

Strengths

• Integrated workflow: From image to CFD results in one tool
• User-friendly GUI: All parameters in a single configuration panel
• Robust numerics: Adaptive methods for stability
• Comprehensive visualization: Multiple views for complete analysis

Limitations

• 2D only: No 3D flow simulation
• Explicit solver: May require small time steps for stability
• Single-phase: No multiphase or compressible flows
• Fixed grid: Structured Cartesian mesh only