Tuning the axial singularity method for accurate calculation of potential flow around axisymmetric bodies

Abstract The performance of axial line singularity methods has been investigated systematically for various solution parameters using carefully chosen test cases. The results indicate that increasing the number of elements and using stretched node distribution improves the solution accuracy until the matrix becomes near-singular. The matrix condition number increases with these parameters as well as with the order of intensity variation and profile thickness. For moderate fineness ratios, the linear methods outperform zero-order methods. The linear doublet method performs best with control points at the x-locations of nodes while the source methods perform best with control points mid-way between nodes. The doublet method has a condition number an order of magnitude lower than the source method and generally provides more accurate results and handles a wider range of bodies. With appropriate solution parameters, the method provides excellent accuracy for bodies without slope discontinuity. The smoothing technique proposed recently by Hemsch has been shown to reduce the condition number of the matrix; however it should be used with caution. It is recommended to use it only when the solution is highly oscillatory with a near-singular matrix. A criterion for the optimum value of the smoothing parameter is proposed.