A new computer software tool developed by NASA is being applied by air taxi design engineers to predict aircraft noise and aerodynamic performance. The OVERFLOW code enables manufacturers working in fields related to NASA’s Advanced Air Mobility mission to determine during the aircraft development process how propellors, wings and other design elements will perform.

Design modifications can be quickly implemented by use of the code, which is available to industry, universities and individuals for U.S. release. The computational fluid dynamics flow solver uses structured overset grids to simulate and predict fluid flows such as air and the pressures, forces, moments and power requirements that come from the aircraft. Since these fluid flows contribute to aircraft noise, improved predictions can help engineers design quieter models.

Manufacturers can also integrate the OVERFLOW code with their own aircraft modeling programs to analyze different scenarios, quantify performance and efficiency, and visually interpret how the airflow behaves on and around the vehicle. These interpretations can be depicted in a variety of colors representing these behaviors.