Preliminary Study on Mesh Stiffness Models for Fluid-structure Interaction Problems

Abstract

One of the challenges in modern computational engineering is the simulation of fluid-structure interaction (FSI) phenomena where one of the crucial issues in the multi-physics simulation is the choice of stiffness model for mesh deformation. This paper focuses on the application of iteratively implicit coupling procedure on two transient FSI cases of vortex induced-vibration (VIV) that manifest oscillating flexible structures. The aim is to study various mesh stiffness models in the Laplace equation of diffusion employed within the arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian (ALE) methodology to handle the moving mesh. In the first case where a laminar flow interacted with a flexible splitter, it was demonstrated that a near FSI boundaries increased-stiffness model prevails to manage a large deformation of the moving structure as compared to a near volume increased-stiffness model. However, the potential technique could not be exploited to the second FSI configuration, where the effect of the turbulence of flow was included. It was found that the mesh topology near the FSI interface was collapsed. Instead of utilizing the same approach, a mesh stiffness based on a wall distance was found to be auspicious. Thus, the mesh stiffness model in the FSI simulation is case-dependent.

Keywords

• ale method
• fluid-structure interaction
• implicit partitioned approach
• mesh stiffness
• turbulent flow
• vortex induced-vibration