Aircraft designers are constantly challenged to make planes more fuel efficient. To achieve this goal, engineers incorporate existing and novel composite materials to make designs more aerodynamic, resulting in lighter, stronger, safer and more comfortable airplanes for both commercial and military use.
 

Predicting the transition from laminar to turbulent flow can be a difficult task, one that is aided by simulation software. Engineers who use tools from ANSYS can more easily determine the extent of laminar flow. This is important as designers seek to predict drag to within 1 count - as well as to find ways to reduce drag. Furthermore, the state of the boundary layer determines where the flow will separate. For example, nonconservative (unsafe) predictions result if one assumes fully turbulent flow when addressing the maximum lift coefficient for takeoff and landing. Such simulations predict that the flow in the boundary layer has more momentum and remains attached longer than it does in flight.  Using trusted simulation tools from ANSYS, engineers can obtain more accurate predictions of where the flow will separate and at what point the wing will lose lift.