Effect of edge-based discretization schemes in computations of the DLR F6 wing-body configuration

Two different edge-based spatial discretization schemes are investigated. In the first approach the discretization is applied to the edge control surface formed by the sum of the element sub-surfaces. In the second approach, the discretization is carried out on each subsurface. It is shown theoretically that the discretization approach on the sub-surfaces may lead to enhanced accuracy at the expense of higher computational cost. The two approaches are applied in two dimensions over an airfoil and to the DLR F6 configuration. The accuracy is evaluated by conducting grid convergence studies. The discretization scheme on the subsurfaces gives approximately first order accuracy in two dimensions, the other scheme is even less accurate. For the DLR F6 configuration in three dimensions, however, both approaches exhibit similar accuracy close to the expected second spatial order.