An embedded boundary framework for compressible turbulent flow and fluid–structure computations on structured and unstructured grids

The finite volume method with exact two‐phase Riemann problems (FIVER) is a two‐faceted computational method for compressible multi‐material (fluid–fluid, fluid–structure, and multi‐fluid–structure) problems characterized by large density jumps, and/or highly nonlinear structural motions and deformations. For compressible multi‐phase flow problems, FIVER is a Godunov‐type discretization scheme characterized by the construction and solution at the material interfaces of local, exact, two‐phase Riemann problems. For compressible fluid–structure interaction (FSI) problems, it is an embedded boundary method for computational fluid dynamics (CFD) capable of handling large structural deformations and topological changes. Originally developed for inviscid multi‐material computations on nonbody‐fitted structured and unstructured grids, FIVER is extended in this paper to laminar and turbulent viscous flow and FSI problems. To this effect, it is equipped with carefully designed extrapolation schemes for populating the ghost fluid values needed for the construction, in the vicinity of the fluid–structure interface, of second‐order spatial approximations of the viscous fluxes and source terms associated with Reynolds averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS)‐based turbulence models and large eddy simulation (LES). Two support algorithms, which pertain to the application of any embedded boundary method for CFD to the robust, accurate, and fast solution of FSI problems, are also presented in this paper. The first one focuses on the fast computation of the time‐dependent distance to the wall because it is required by many RANS‐based turbulence models. The second algorithm addresses the robust and accurate computation of the flow‐induced forces and moments on embedded discrete surfaces, and their finite element representations when these surfaces are flexible. Equipped with these two auxiliary algorithms, the extension of FIVER to viscous flow and FSI problems is first verified with the LES of a turbulent flow past an immobile prolate spheroid, and the computation of a series of unsteady laminar flows past two counter‐rotating cylinders. Then, its potential for the solution of complex, turbulent, and flexible FSI problems is also demonstrated with the simulation, using the Spalart–Allmaras turbulence model, of the vertical tail buffeting of an F/A‐18 aircraft configuration and the comparison of the obtained numerical results with flight test data. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Numerical investigation of transonic limit cycle oscillations of a two-dimensional supercritical wing

CFD-based aeroelastic computations are performed to investigate the effect of nonlinear aerodynamics on transonic limit cycle oscillation (LCO) characteristics of the NLR7301 airfoil section. It is found that the LCO solutions from Navier–Stokes computations deviate less from the experiment than an Euler solution but strongly depend on the employed turbulence model. The Degani–Schiff modification to the Baldwin–Lomax turbulence model provokes spurious vorticity spots causing multiple shocks which might be unphysical, while the Spalart–Allmaras turbulence model yields physically reasonable unsteady shocks. In the cases examined, smaller initial perturbations lead to larger LCO amplitudes and vice versa, in contradiction to what one might expect. The amplitude of the initial perturbation is also found to have an impact on the mean position of LCO. Also addressed in the paper are aspects of multiblock message passing interface (MPI) parallel computation techniques as related to the present problem.     

Virtual flight simulation of a dual rotor micro air vehicle

In this paper, a new computational method is developed based on computational fluid dynamics (CFD) coupled with rigid body dynamics (RBD) and flight control law in an in-house programmed source code. The CFD solver is established based on momentum source method, preconditioning method, lower–upper symmetric Gauss–Seidel iteration method, and moving overset grid method. Two-equation shear–stress transport k ? ω turbulence model is employed to close the governing equations. Third-order Adams prediction-correction method is used to couple CFD and RBD in the inner iteration. The wing-rock motion of the delta wing is simulated to validate the capability of the computational method for virtual flight simulation. Finally, the developed computational method is employed to simulate the longitudinal virtual flight of a dual rotor micro air vehicle (MAV). Results show that the computational method can simulate the virtual flight of the dual rotor MAV.     

Derivation,implementation, and initial testing of a compressible wall‐layer model

Traditional wall functions have been used successfully for decades to decrease the computational cost for obtaining solutions to incompressible flows with equilibrium turbulence. However, these traditional, analytic wall functions are poorly suited for more complex flows. The present work describes an alternative approach named the ‘diffusion model’. The diffusion model is a subgrid model developed by Blottner and Bond that solves a system of ODEs in the near‐wall region instead of assuming an analytic profile. The diffusion model has previously been shown to reproduce profiles of various turbulence models through the log layer with fixed outer boundary conditions. This paper documents the implementation and the testing of the diffusion model fully coupled with a 3‐D Reynolds‐averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) algorithm, using the Spalart–Allmaras model. The results indicate that the coupled algorithm is valid when the interface between diffusion model and the 3‐D RANS algorithm is below the outer edge of the log layer. Although the current work focuses on using steady 3‐D RANS outside of the log layer, modeling assumptions introduced in the current work could be used to derive a diffusion model for coupling with a large eddy simulation region. Published in 2010 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Existence of a Weak Solution to a Nonlinear Fluid–Structure Interaction Problem Modeling the Flow of an Incompressible, Viscous Fluid in a Cylinder with Deformable Walls

We study a nonlinear, unsteady, moving boundary, fluid–structure interaction (FSI) problem arising in modeling blood flow through elastic and viscoelastic arteries. The fluid flow, which is driven by the time-dependent pressure data, is governed by two-dimensional incompressible Navier–Stokes equations, while the elastodynamics of the cylindrical wall is modeled by the one-dimensional cylindrical Koiter shell model. Two cases are considered: the linearly viscoelastic and the linearly elastic Koiter shell. The fluid and structure are fully coupled (two-way coupling) via the kinematic and dynamic lateral boundary conditions describing continuity of velocity (the no-slip condition), and the balance of contact forces at the fluid–structure interface. We prove the existence of weak solutions to the two FSI problems (the viscoelastic and the elastic case) as long as the cylinder radius is greater than zero. The proof is based on a novel semi-discrete, operator splitting numerical scheme, known as the kinematically coupled scheme, introduced in Guidoboni et al. (J Comput Phys 228(18):6916–6937, 2009) to numerically solve the underlying FSI problems. The backbone of the kinematically coupled scheme is the well-known Marchuk–Yanenko scheme, also known as the Lie splitting scheme. We effectively prove convergence of that numerical scheme to a solution of the corresponding FSI problem.     

Experimental PIV/V3V measurements of vortex-induced fluid–structure interaction in turbulent flow—A new benchmark FSI-PfS-2a

The investigation of the bidirectional coupling between a fluid flow and a structure motion is a growing branch of research in science and industry. Applications of the so-called fluid–structure interactions (FSI) are widespread. To improve coupled numerical FSI simulations, generic experimental benchmark studies of the fluid and the structure are necessary. In this work, the coupling of a vortex-induced periodic deformation of a flexible structure mounted behind a rigid cylinder and a fully turbulent water flow performed at a Reynolds number of Re=30 470 is experimentally investigated with a planar particle image velocimetry (PIV) and a volumetric three-component velocimetry (V3V) system. To determine the structure displacements a multiple-point laser triangulation sensor is used. The three-dimensional fluid velocity results show shedding vortices behind the structure, which reaches the second swiveling mode with a frequency of about 11.2 Hz corresponding to a Strouhal number of St=0.177. Providing phase-averaged flow and structure measurements precise experimental data for coupled computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and computational structure dynamics (CSD) validations are available for this new benchmark case denoted FSI-PfS-2a. The test case possesses four main advantages: (i) the geometry is rather simple; (ii) kinematically, the rotation of the front cylinder is avoided; (iii) the boundary conditions are well defined; (iv) nevertheless, the resulting flow features and structure displacements are challenging from the computational point of view. In addition to the flow field and displacement data a PIV-based force calculation method is used to estimate the lift and drag coefficients of the moving structure.     

Development of a fully Lagrangian MPS-based coupled method for simulation of fluid–structure interaction problems

A fully Lagrangian particle-based method is developed for simulating the FSI (Fluid–Structure Interaction) problems corresponding to incompressible fluid flows and elastic structures. First, the developed elastic structure model is verified by static and dynamic tests corresponding to a simple cantilever beam. The simulation results are compared with analytical and other researchers׳ numerical solutions. Then, the structure model is carefully coupled with a fluid model comprising of the so-called PNU-MPS (Pusan-National-University-modified Moving Particle Simulation) method and several recently developed enhanced schemes. The coupled fluid–structure method is applied to a dam break with an elastic gate and a violent sloshing flow with a hanging rubber baffle. The results of simulations are compared with those of the experiments by Antoci et al. (2007) and Idelsohn et al. (2008).     

An improved parallel compact scheme for domain-decoupled simulation of turbulence

An improved domain-decoupled compact scheme for first and second spatial derivatives is proposed for domain-decomposition-based parallel computational fluid dynamics. The method improves the accuracy of previously developed decoupled schemes and preserves the accuracy and bandwidth properties of fully coupled compact schemes, even for a very large degree of parallelism, and enables the Navier-Stokes equations to be solved independently on each processor. The scheme is analysed using Fourier analysis and error analysis, and tested on one-dimensional wave-packet propagation, a two-dimensional vortex convection problem, and in the direct numerical simulation of the three-dimensional Taylor-Green vortex problem and turbulent channel flow. Our results demonstrate the scheme's effectiveness in performing direct numerical simulation of turbulence in terms of accuracy and scalability.     

Validation of CFD‐CSD coupling interface methodology using commercial codes

Coupling interface between computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and computational structural dynamics (CSD) is required to provide exchange of information for the simulation of fluid–structure interaction (FSI) phenomena. Accuracy and consistency of information exchanged through coupling interface between the independent CFD and CSD solvers plays a central role in the simulation and prediction of FSI phenomenon, like flutter. In this paper validation of an implemented coupling interface methodology is presented for subsonic, transonic and near supersonic mach regime. The test case chosen for this purpose is the flutter of AGARD445.6 standard I‐wing weakened model configuration for subsonic to near transonic flow regime. Gambit^® and Fluent^® are used for CFD grid generation and solution of fluid dynamic equations, respectively. CSD modeling and simulation are provided by numerical time integration of modal dynamic equations derived through the finite element modeling in ANSYS^® environment. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Numerical stabilities of loosely coupled methods for robust modeling of lightweight and flexible structures in incompressible and viscous flows

The growing interest to examine the hydroelastic dynamics and stabilities of lightweight and flexible materials requires robust and accurate fluid–structure interaction(FSI)models. Classically, partitioned fluid and structure solvers are easier to implement compared to monolithic methods;however, partitioned FSI models are vulnerable to numerical("virtual added mass") instabilities for cases when the solid to fluid density ratio is low and if the flow is incompressible.As a partitioned method, the loosely hybrid coupled(LHC)method, which was introduced and validated in Young et al.(Acta Mech. Sin. 28:1030–1041, 2012), has been successfully used to efficiently and stably model lightweight and flexible structures. The LHC method achieves its numerical stability by, in addition to the viscous fluid forces, embedding potential flow approximations of the fluid induced forces to transform the partitioned FSI model into a semi-implicit scheme. The objective of this work is to derive and validate the numerical stability boundary of the LHC. The results show that the stability boundary of the LHC is much wider than traditional loosely coupled methods for a variety of numerical integration schemes. The results also show that inclusion of an estimate of the fluid inertial forces is the most critical to ensure the numerical stability when solving for fluid–structure interaction problems involving cases with a solid to fluid-added mass ratio less than one.     

A thin-walled composite beam model for light-weighted structures interacting with fluids

A thin-walled beam model is proposed for structures of variable cross-section, which can be either open or closed and includes multicellular cross-sections with either isotropic or orthotropic materials. The proposed model does not require any priori definition of cross-sectional warping which instead results from the solution of the problem. To achieve that a special deformation pattern is superimposed on the bending deformation described by Euler–Bernoulli beam theory. All sectional properties are automatically incorporated in the analysis as a result of the usual variational formulation of the system of equations. The proposed model is specifically designed to simulate the dynamics of wind/hydrokinetic turbine blade with low computational cost, especially in fluid–structure interaction (FSI) simulation. A number of test cases have been carried out to validate the proposed structural model which show good agreement between the results obtained her e and the solutions available in literature. Finally, FSI simulation of a hydrokinetic blade under field condition is carried out to illustrate the capability of the current thin-walled beam model in practice.     

Evaluation of linear and nonlinear convection schemes on multidimensional non‐orthogonal grids with applications to KVLCC2 tanker

Almost all evaluations of convection schemes reported in the literature are conducted using simple problems on uniform orthogonal grids; thus, having limited contribution when solving industrial computational fluid dynamics (CFD), where the grids are usually non‐orthogonal with distortions. Herein, several convection schemes are assessed in uniform and distorted non‐orthogonal grids with emphasis on industrial applications. Linear and nonlinear (TVD) convection schemes are assessed on analytical benchmarks in both uniform and distorted grids. To evaluate the performance of the schemes, four error metrics are used: dissipation, phase and L₁ errors, and the schemes' effective order of accuracy. Qualitative and quantitative deterioration of these error metrics as a function of the grid distortion metrics are investigated, and rigorous verifications are performed. Recommendations for effective use of the convection schemes based on the range of grid aspect ratio (AR), expansion ratio (ER) and skewness (Q) are included. A ship hydrodynamics case is studied, involving a Reynolds averaged Navier–Stokes simulation of a bare‐hull KVLCC2 tanker using linear and nonlinear convection schemes coupled with isotropic and anisotropic Reynolds‐stress (ARS) turbulence models using CFDShip‐Iowa v4. Predictions of local velocities and turbulent quantities from the midships to the nominal wake plane are compared with experimental fluid dynamics (EFD), and rigorous verification and validation analyses for integral forces and moments are performed for 0° and 12° drift angles. Best predictions are observed when coupling a second‐order TVD scheme with the anisotropic turbulence model. Further improvements are observed in terms of prediction of the vortical structures for 30° drift when using TVD2S‐ARS coupled with DES. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Strongly coupled simulation of fluid–structure interaction in a Francis hydroturbine

This work simulates a complex fluid flow in fluid–structure interaction (FSI). The flow under consideration is governed by Navier–Stokes equations for incompressible viscous fluids and modeled with the finite volume method. Large eddy simulation is used to simulate the unsteady turbulent flow. The structure is represented by a finite element formulation. The present work introduces a strongly coupled partitioned approach that is applied to complex flow in fluid machinery. In this approach, the fluid and structure equations are solved separately using different solvers, but are implicitly coupled into one single module based on sensitivity analysis of the important displacement and stress modes. The applied modes and their responses are used to build up a reduced‐order model. The proposed model is used to predict the unsteady flow fields of a 3D complete passage, involving in stay, guide vanes, and runner blades, for a Francis hydro turbine and FSI is considered. The computational results show that a fairly good convergence solution is achieved by using the reduced‐order model that is based on only a few displacement and stress modes, which largely reduces the computational cost, compared with traditional approaches. At the same time, a comparison of the numerical results of the model with available experimental data validates the methodology and assesses its accuracy. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Validation of a fluid–structure interaction model for a bileaflet mechanical heart valve

A fluid-structure interaction (FSI) model for heart valve simulation is presented. In a partitioned framework, separate fluid and structure solvers are weakly coupled, which in combination with the use of artificial compressibility in the fluid solver, leads to a stable and efficient approach. An Arbitrary Lagrangian Eulerian formulation is employed in the fluid solver to permit the accurate calculation of shear stresses next to the valve boundary. The mesh quality is maintained through a combination of smoothing and local remeshing in 3D. The FSI algorithm is validated on experiments of an idealised quasi-2D mechanical heart valve, and the efficiency of the remeshing approach is demonstrated on a realistic 3D heart-valve geometry.     

Comparison between computational fluid dynamics,fluid–structure interaction and computational structural dynamics predictions of flow-induced wall mechanics in an anatomically realistic cerebral aneurysm model

Haemodynamically induced stress plays an important role in the progression and rupture of cerebral aneurysms. The current work describes computational fluid dynamics (CFD), fluid–structure interaction (FSI) and computational structural dynamics (CSD) simulations in an anatomically realistic model of a carotid artery with two saccular cerebral aneurysms in the ophthalmic region. The model was obtained from three-dimensional (3D) rotational angiographic imaging data. CFD and FSI were studied under a physiologically representative waveform of inflow. The arterial wall was assumed elastic or hyperelastic, as a 3D solid or as a shell depending on the type of modelling used. The flow was assumed to be laminar, non-Newtonian and incompressible. The CFD, FSI and CSD models were solved with the finite elements package ADINA. Predictions of velocity field and wall shear stress (WSS) on the aneurysms made using CFD and FSI were compared. The CSD model of the aneurysms using complete geometry was compared with isolated aneurysm models. Additionally, the effects of hypertensive pressure on CSD aneurysm models are also reported. The vortex structure, WSS, effective stress, strain and displacement of the aneurysm walls showed differences, depending on the type of modelling used.     

CFD–DEM simulation of turbulence modulation in horizontal pneumatic conveying

A study is presented to evaluate the capabilities of the standard k–ε turbulence model and the k–ε turbulence model with added source terms in predicting the experimentally measured turbulence modulation due to the presence of particles in horizontal pneumatic conveying, in the context of a CFD–DEM Eulerian–Lagrangian simulation. Experiments were performed using a 6.5-m long, 0.075-m diameter horizontal pipe in conjunction with a laser Doppler anemometry (LDA) system. Spherical glass beads with two sizes, 1.5 and 2 mm, were used. Simulations were performed using the commercial discrete element method software EDEM, coupled with the computational fluid dynamics package FLUENT. Hybrid source terms were added to the conventional k–ε turbulence model to take into account the influence of the dispersed phase on the carrier phase turbulence intensity. The simulation results showed that the turbulence modulation depends strongly on the model parameter C_ε3. Both the standard k–ε turbulence model and the k–ε turbulence model with the hybrid source terms could predict the gas phase turbulence intensity trend only generally. A noticeable discrepancy in all cases between simulation and experimental results was observed, particularly for the regions close to the pipe wall. It was also observed that in some cases the addition of the source terms to the k–ε turbulence model did not improve the simulation results when compared with those of the standard k–ε turbulence model. Nonetheless, in the lower part of the pipe where particle loading was greater due to gravitational effects, the model with added source terms performed somewhat better.     

Development of a hybrid model based on mesh and meshfree methods and its application to fluid–elastic structure interaction for free surface waves

In this paper, a hybrid scheme, Fluid–Fluid–Elastic Structure (FFES) model was developed in the time domain to address the wave breaking impact on the structure. The model is developed based on the partitioned approach with different governing equations that describe various regions of the model domain. The fluid–fluid model denotes that two different fluid models were used to describe fluid in the actual physical domain. The method is a physics-based approximation to reduce the computational time, i.e. in the far-field inviscid fluid (fully nonlinear potential flow theory model), and near to the structure, viscous fluid (Navier Stokes model) is used. The coupled model then interacts with the elastic structure (based on Euler–Bernoulli beam theory). The system of equations is strongly coupled both in space and time. The Fluid–Fluid coupling uses an implicit predictor–corrector scheme, and the fluid–structure coupling works based on an iterative scheme. This approach makes the method more robust and for future extension. Three different possibilities for introducing the coupling was identified and implemented. The model was validated against results from the analytical solution and literature. The method proposed is a reliable, robust, and efficient alternative for simulating fluid–structure interaction problems.     

Direct numerical simulation of particle–fluid systems by combining time-driven hard-sphere model and lattice Boltzmann method

A coupled numerical method for the direct numerical simulation of particle–fluid systems is formulated and implemented, resolving an order of magnitude smaller than particle size. The particle motion is described by the time-driven hard-sphere model, while the hydrodynamic equations governing fluid flow are solved by the lattice Boltzmann method (LBM). Particle–fluid coupling is realized by an immersed boundary method (IBM), which considers the effect of boundary on surrounding fluid as a restoring force added to the governing equations of the fluid. The proposed scheme is validated in the classical flow-around-cylinder simulations, and preliminary application of this scheme to fluidization is reported, demonstrating it to be a promising computational strategy for better understanding complex behavior in particle–fluid systems.     

Validating the URANS shear stress transport γ −Reθ model for low‐Reynolds‐number external aerodynamics

A numerical investigation on low‐Reynolds‐number external aerodynamics was conducted using the transitional unsteady Reynolds‐averaged Navier–Stokes shear stress transport γ ?Re_θ model and the ANSYS‐CFX computational fluid dynamics suite. The NACA 0012 airfoil was exposed to chord‐based Reynolds numbers of 5.0 ×10⁴, 1.0 ×10⁵ and 2.5 ×10⁵ at 0°, 4°and 8°angles of attack. Time‐averaged and instantaneous flow features were extracted and compared with fully turbulent shear stress transport results, XFLR5 panel e ^N method results, and published higher order numerical and experimental studies. The current model was shown to reproduce the complex flow phenomena, including the laminar separation bubble dynamics and aerodynamic performance, with a very good degree of accuracy. The sensitivity of the model to domain size, grid resolution and quality, timestepping scheme, and free‐stream turbulence intensity was also presented. In view of the results obtained, the proposed model is deemed appropriate for modelling low‐Reynolds‐number external aerodynamics and provides a framework for future studies for the better understanding of this complex flow regime. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Time‐dependent turbulent cavitating flow computations with interfacial transport and filter‐based models

Turbulent cavitating flow computations need to address both cavitation and turbulence modelling issues. A recently developed interfacial dynamics‐based cavitation model (IDCM) incorporates the interfacial transport into the computational modelling of cavitation dynamics. For time‐dependent flows, it is known that the engineering turbulence closure such as the original k–ε model often over‐predicts the eddy viscosity values reducing the unsteadiness. A recently proposed filter‐based modification has shown that it can effectively modulate the eddy viscosity, rendering better simulation capabilities for time‐dependent flow computations in term of the unsteady characteristics. In the present study, the IDCM along with the filter‐based k–ε turbulence model is adopted to simulate 2‐D cavitating flows over the Clark‐Y airfoil. The chord Reynolds number is Re=7.0 × 10⁵. Two angles‐of‐attack of 5 and 8° associated with several cavitation numbers covering different flow regimes are conducted. The simulation results are assessed with the experimental data including lift, drag and velocity profiles. The interplay between cavitation and turbulence models reveals substantial differences in time‐dependent flow results even though the time‐averaged characteristics are similar. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.