# Aerodynamic drag analysis of a 3D wing profile at high speed (80 m/s). Checking mesh quality and result validity.

**URL:** <https://www.simscale.com/forum/t/aerodynamic-drag-analysis-of-a-3d-wing-profile-at-high-speed-80-m-s-checking-mesh-quality-and-result-validity/101391>\
**Category:** Project Support\
**Created:** [October 10, 2026, 6:01pm UTC](https://www.simscale.com/forum/t/aerodynamic-drag-analysis-of-a-3d-wing-profile-at-high-speed-80-m-s-checking-mesh-quality-and-result-validity/101391 "2026-10-10T18:01:24Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![honzanovak](https://www.simscale.com/forum/letter_avatar/honzanovak/32/5_5575768a8748004e209b776fc1b2916d.png) [@honzanovak](https://www.simscale.com/forum/u/honzanovak)\
**Post date:** [October 10, 2026, 6:01pm UTC](https://www.simscale.com/forum/t/aerodynamic-drag-analysis-of-a-3d-wing-profile-at-high-speed-80-m-s-checking-mesh-quality-and-result-validity/101391/1 "2026-10-10T18:01:24Z")

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Hi everyone,

I am simulating the aerodynamic drag of a 3D wing profile and I would highly appreciate it if someone could review my project setup and results to tell me if they are realistic and objective.

**Model & Setup Details:**

- **Wing dimensions:** Span 1m, Chord 60mm, Thickness 6mm.
- **Flow speed:** 80 m/s (approx. 288 km/h).
- **Physics setup:** Incompressible, Steady-state, k-omega SST model (End time: 1000s, Delta t: 1s).
- **Mesh details:** 6 million cells. I used a smaller External Flow Volume, a Cartesian box for region refinement, and a manual surface refinement on the wing.
- **Note:** I received a minor warning about mesh quality metrics outside recommended ranges, but visually the mesh and the profile shape look perfect and not deformed.

**Simulation Results:**  
The simulation achieved excellent convergence with a perfectly flat force plot at the end of the 1000 iterations. The extracted forces at 80 m/s are:

- **Total Drag:** 3.2 N
- **Pressure Force:** 1.2 N
- **Viscous Force:** 2.1 N

**Why I am asking for a review:**  
In my previous attempt with a much coarser mesh (around 350k cells), the automatic mesh settings deformed the fine geometry into a simple wedge/triangle shape. That faulty run yielded a **Total Drag of 6.0 N** (Pressure: 4.0 N, Viscous: 2.0 N).

After refining the mesh to 6M cells to capture the perfect aerodynamic profile, the Pressure Force dropped significantly from 4.0 N to 1.2 N, cutting the total drag almost in half.

**My questions for the community:**

1. Given that the viscous force is dominant (approx. 64% of total drag) and the force plot is completely stable, do these values (3.2 N total drag at 80 m/s) look objective and realistic for a wing of this size?
2. Is a 6M cell mesh sufficient for this Reynolds number, or should I refine the boundary layers even further to ensure the y⁺ values are optimal?

Here is the link to my public project: [https://www.simscale.com/workbench/?pid=2004101406667325192&location=mesh:45b53e6a-7655-4762-8bae-2ad486b0cc4f&hostSimulationSpecId=d78467f5-9207-4086-96d2-b81a82a533b2](https://www.simscale.com/workbench/?pid=2004101406667325192&location=mesh:45b53e6a-7655-4762-8bae-2ad486b0cc4f&hostSimulationSpecId=d78467f5-9207-4086-96d2-b81a82a533b2)

Thank you very much for your time and guidance! Jan

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