Coupled ghost fluid/two‐phase level set method for curvilinear body‐fitted grids

A coupled ghost fluid/two‐phase level set method to simulate air/water turbulent flow for complex geometries using curvilinear body‐fitted grids is presented. The proposed method is intended to treat ship hydrodynamics problems. The original level set method for moving interface flows was based on Heaviside functions to smooth all fluid properties across the interface. We call this the Heaviside function method (HFM). The HFM requires fine grids across the interface. The ghost fluid method (GFM) has been designed to explicitly enforce the interfacial jump conditions, but the implementation of the jump conditions in curvilinear grids is intricate. To overcome these difficulties a coupled GFM/HFM method was developed in which approximate jump conditions are derived for piezometric pressure and velocity and pressure gradients based on exact continuous velocity and stress and jump in momentum conditions with the jump in density maintained but continuity of the molecular and turbulent viscosities imposed. The implementation of the ghost points is such that no duplication of memory storage is necessary. The level set method is adopted to locate the air/water interface, and a fast marching method was implemented in curvilinear grids to reinitialize the level set function. Validations are performed for three tests: super‐ and sub‐critical flow without wave breaking and an impulsive plunging wave breaking over 2D submerged bumps, and the flow around surface combatant model DTMB 5512. Comparisons are made against experimental data, HFM and single‐phase level set computations. The proposed method performed very well and shows great potential to treat complicated turbulent flows related to ship flows. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A combined level set/ghost cell immersed boundary representation for floating body simulations

A six degrees of freedom (6DOF) algorithm is implemented in the open‐source CFD code REEF3D. The model solves the incompressible Navier–Stokes equations. Complex free surface dynamics are modeled with the level set method based on a two‐phase flow approach. The convection terms of the velocities and the level set method are treated with a high‐order weighted essentially non‐oscillatory discretization scheme. Together with the level set method for the free surface capturing, this algorithm can model the movement of rigid floating bodies and their interaction with the fluid. The 6DOF algorithm is implemented on a fixed grid. The solid‐fluid interface is represented with a combination of the level set method and ghost cell immersed boundary method. As a result, re‐meshing or overset grids are not necessary. The capability, accuracy, and numerical stability of the new algorithm is shown through benchmark applications for the fluid‐body interaction problem. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Finite‐element/level‐set/operator‐splitting (FELSOS) approach for computing two‐fluid unsteady flows with free moving interfaces

The present work is devoted to the study on unsteady flows of two immiscible viscous fluids separated by free moving interface. Our goal is to elaborate a unified strategy for numerical modelling of two‐fluid interfacial flows, having in mind possible interface topology changes (like merger or break‐up) and realistically wide ranges for physical parameters of the problem. The proposed computational approach essentially relies on three basic components: the finite element method for spatial approximation, the operator‐splitting for temporal discretization and the level‐set method for interface representation. We show that the finite element implementation of the level‐set approach brings some additional benefits as compared to the standard, finite difference level‐set realizations. In particular, the use of finite elements permits to localize the interface precisely, without introducing any artificial parameters like the interface thickness; it also allows to maintain the second‐order accuracy of the interface normal, curvature and mass conservation. The operator‐splitting makes it possible to separate all major difficulties of the problem and enables us to implement the equal‐order interpolation for the velocity and pressure. Diverse numerical examples including simulations of bubble dynamics, bifurcating jet flow and Rayleigh–Taylor instability are presented to validate the computational method. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

基于参数化水平集方法的微结构拓扑优化设计

相比于单一材料,复合材料具有轻质高强等优点,拓扑优化方法是设计复合材料的方法之一.本文采用改进的参数化水平集方法,更新了水平集迭代格式,并应用水平集带方法在优化过程中引入中间密度,使水平集方法与变密度法无缝结合以改善水平集方法的拓扑寻优能力,降低其初始设计依赖性.本文以最大化体积模量、剪切模量和负泊松比作为材料设计目标,结合均匀化方法预测材料的宏观等效性能,研究了不同体积分数、多种初始设计及水平集带方法的引入对优化结果的影响,并得到了多种满足不同目标函数的微结构拓扑形式.数值算例验证了本文方法在复合材料微结构设计问题中的有效性.     

A LEVEL SET METHOD FOR MICROSTRUCTURE DESIGN OF COMPOSITE MATERIALS

I. INTRODUCTION Material design refers to the generation of composite materials with prescribed or improved propertiesthat cannot be found in the usual materials. This can be achieved by modifying the microstructureof the composite material. Now a syste…     

数值模拟界面流方法进展

用数值模拟方法研究界面流,对于工程设计和理论分析复杂流动都是非常重要的.单纯用现有的高分辨格式无法清晰定出流体界面,故此对界面必须进行特殊的处理,例如界面跟踪(front tracking)方法．本文对界面流的各种数值模拟方法进行了综述．这些方法包括锋面跟踪法、移动网格法、基於粒子法、边界积方法、连续对流格式、体积跟踪方法和水平集的方法．我们着重介绍了现阶段处理流体界面问题使用较多的方法:体积跟踪方法和水平集方法．同时我们也对各种方法的优缺点作了评述.      

A Q2Q1 finite element/level‐set method for simulating two‐phase flows with surface tension

A Q2Q1 (quadratic velocity/linear pressure) finite element/level‐set method was proposed for simulating incompressible two‐phase flows with surface tension. The Navier–Stokes equations were solved using the Q2Q1 integrated FEM, and the level‐set variable was linearly interpolated using a ‘pseudo’ Q2Q1 finite element when calculating the density and viscosity of a fluid to avoid an unbounded density/viscosity. The advection of the level‐set function was calculated through the Taylor–Galerkin method, and the direct approach method is employed for reinitialization. The proposed method was tested by solving several benchmark problems including rising bubbles exhibiting a large density difference and the surface tension effect. The numerical results of the rising bubbles were compared with the existing results to validate the benchmark quantities such as the centroid, circularity, and rising velocity. Furthermore, we focused our attention mainly on mass conservation and time‐step. We observed that the present method represented a convergence rate between 1.0 and 1.5 orders in terms of mass conservation and provided more stable solutions even when using a larger time‐step than the critical time‐step that was imposed because of the explicit treatment of surface tension. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

An explicit finite volume element method for solving characteristic level set equation on triangular grids

Level set methods are widely used for predicting evolutions of complex free surface topologies,such as the crystal and crack growth,bubbles and droplets deformation,spilling and breaking waves,and two-phase flow phenomena.This paper presents a characteristic level set equation which is derived from the two-dimensional level set equation by using the characteristic-based scheme.An explicit finite volume element method is developed to discretize the equation on triangular grids.Several examples are presented to demonstrate the performance of the proposed method for calculating interface evolutions in time.The proposed level set method is also coupled with the Navier-Stokes equations for two-phase immiscible incompressible flow analysis with surface tension.The Rayleigh-Taylor instability problem is used to test and evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed scheme.     

基于水平集方法的均布式柔性机构的拓扑优化设计

提出一种利用水平集方法进行均布武柔性机构设计的新方法.根据水平集边界表达方法中具有几何信息的特点,将图像分析中的二次能量函数引入到水平集模型中,以控制柔性机构拓扑优化设计结果的几何尺寸,得到等宽带状均布的柔性机构,较好地解决了传统柔性机构拓扑优化中容易出现单点铰链问题.应用半隐式的加性分裂算子(AOS)算法求解水平集方程,松弛了逆风格式中CFL(Courant-Frie drichs-Lewy)条件对时间步长的限制,提高了求解效率.通过一个典型的二维算例来验证方法的有效性.     

Simulation of two‐phase flow–body interaction problems using direct forcing/fictitious domain–level set method

In the present paper, a direct forcing/fictitious domain (DF/FD)–level set method is proposed to simulate the twophase flow–body interaction. The DF/FD does not sacrifice accuracy and robustness by employing a discrete δ (Dirac delta) function to transfer quantities between the Eulerian nodes and Lagrangian points explicitly as the immersed boundary method. The advantages of this approach are the simple concept, the easy implementation and the utilization of original governing equation without modification. The main idea is to combine DF/FD method with the level set method in the Cartesian coordinates. We present the results of a number of test cases to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed method for single‐phase flow–body interaction problem and the two‐phase flows with a stationary body. Eventually, the simulations of various water entry problems have been conducted to validate the capability and the accuracy of the present method on solving the twophase flow–body interaction. Consequently, the present results are found to be in good agreement with those of previous studies. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

基于半隐式格式的水平集法连续体结构形状和拓扑优化方法

提出一种改进的基于水平集方法的结构拓扑优化方法.将半隐式的加性算子分裂方法(AOS)引入传统的水平集方程求解,使得原来的Hamilton-Jacobi偏微分方程摆脱了差分法中CFL条件对时间步长的严格限制,差分格式变得高效且稳定.在求解水平集方程过程中不用再对高维的水平集函数进行耗时的周期性的初始化,这样解决了传统水平集方法在优化过程中不能生成新孔的问题.通过典型算例验证了该文算法的有效性.     

Level set methods based on distance function

Some basic problems on the level set methods were discussed, such as the method used to preserve the distance junction , the existence and uniqueness of solution for the level set equations. The main contribution is to prove that in a neighborhood of the initial zero level set, the level set equations with the restriction of the distance function have a unique solution, which must be the signed distance function with respect to the evolving surface. Some skillful approaches were used: Noticing that any solution for the original equation was a distance function, the original level set equations were transformed into a simpler alternative form. Moreover, since the new system was not a classical one, the system was transformed into an ordinary one, for which the implicit function method was adopted.     

Development of new finite volume schemes on unstructured triangular grid for simulating the gas–liquid two‐phase flow

This paper presents a coupled finite volume inner doubly iterative efficient algorithm for linked equations (IDEAL) with level set method to simulate the incompressible gas–liquid two‐phase flows with moving interfaces on unstructured triangular grid. The finite volume IDEAL method on a collocated grid is employed to solve the incompressible two‐phase Navier–Stokes equations, and the level set method is used to capture the moving interfaces. For the sake of mass conservation, an effective second‐order accurate finite volume scheme is developed to solve the level set equation on triangular grid, which can be implemented much easier than the classical high‐order level set solvers. In this scheme, the value of level set function on the boundary of control volume is approximated using a linear combination of a high‐order Larangian interpolation and a second‐order upwind interpolation. By the rotating slotted disk and stretching and shrinking of a circular fluid element benchmark cases, the mass conservation and accuracy of the new scheme is verified. Then the coupled method is applied to two‐phase flows, including a 2D bubble rising problem and a 2D dam breaking problem. The computational results agree well with those reported in literatures and experimental data. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Optimization of unsteady incompressible Navier–Stokes flows using variational level set method

This paper presents the optimization of unsteady Navier–Stokes flows using the variational level set method. The solid–liquid interface is expressed by the level set function implicitly, and the fluid velocity is constrained to be zero in the solid domain. An optimization problem, which is constrained by the Navier–Stokes equations and a fluid volume constraint, is analyzed by the Lagrangian multiplier based adjoint approach. The corresponding continuous adjoint equations and the shape sensitivity are derived. The level set function is evolved by solving the Hamilton–Jacobian equation with the upwind finite difference method. The optimization method can be used to design channels for flows with or without body forces. The numerical examples demonstrate the feasibility and robustness of this optimization method for unsteady Navier–Stokes flows.Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A coupled level set and volume-of-fluid method for sharp interface simulation of plunging breaking waves

A coupled level set and volume-of-fluid (CLSVOF) method is implemented for the numerical simulations of interfacial flows in ship hydrodynamics. The interface is reconstructed via a piecewise linear interface construction scheme and is advected using a Lagrangian method with a second-order Runge–Kutta scheme for time integration. The level set function is re-distanced based on the reconstructed interface with an efficient re-distance algorithm. This level set re-distance algorithm significantly simplifies the complicated geometric procedure and is especially efficient for three-dimensional (3D) cases. The CLSVOF scheme is incorporated into CFDShip-Iowa version 6, a sharp interface Cartesian grid solver for two-phase incompressible flows with the interface represented by the level set method and the interface jump conditions handled using a ghost fluid methodology. The performance of the CLSVOF method is first evaluated through the numerical benchmark tests with prescribed velocity fields, which shows superior mass conservation property over the level set method. With combination of the flow solver, a gas bubble rising in a viscous liquid and a water drop impact onto a deep water pool are modeled. The computed results are compared with the available numerical and experimental results, and good agreement is obtained. Wave breaking of a steep Stokes wave is also modeled and the results are very close to the available numerical results. Finally, plunging wave breaking over a submerged bump is simulated. The overall wave breaking process and major events are identified from the wave profiles of the simulations, which are qualitatively validated by the complementary experimental data. The flow structures are also compared with the experimental data, and similar flow trends have been observed.     

模拟裂纹扩展的单位分解扩展无网格法

单位分解扩展无网格法(PUEM)是一种求解不连续问题的新型无网格方法.其基于单位分解思想,通过在传统无网格法的近似函数中加入扩展项来反映由裂纹所产生的不连续位移场.详细描述了水平集方法,PUEM不连续近似函数的构造及控制方程的离散.针对裂纹扩展问题,提出了一种十分简单的水平集更新算法;讨论了不同的节点数、高斯积分阶次以及围线积分区域对应力强度因子计算结果的影响,并给出了合理的参数;模拟了边裂纹和中心裂纹的扩展问题,并与XFEM的数值结果进行了比较.数值算例表明,本文方法具有较高的计算精度,是模拟裂纹扩展非常有效的方法,具有广阔的应用前景.     

Level set function–based immersed interface method and benchmark solutions for fluid flexible-structure interaction

Using a hybrid Lagrangian-Eulerian approach, a level set function–based immersed interface method (LS-IIM) is proposed for the interaction of a flexible body immersed in a fluid flow. The LS-IIM involves finite volume method for the fluid solver, Galerkin finite element method for the structural solver, and a block-iterative partitioned method–based fully implicit coupling between the two solvers. The novelty of the proposed method is a level set function–based direct implementation of fluid-solid interface boundary conditions in both the solvers. Another novelty is the computation of the level set function from a geometric method instead of differential equations commonly used in level set methods—the novel geometric as compared to the traditional method is found to be more accurate and less time-consuming. The LS-IIM is demonstrated as second-order accurate. Verification study is presented first separately for both the solvers and then together for four fluid-structure interaction (FSI) problems, with different levels of complexity including lid-driven flow, channel flow, and free-stream flow. Benchmark solutions are presented for two class of FSI problems: first, easy to set up and less time-consuming and, second, a reasonably challenging and complex FSI problem involving sharp edges and forced-motion of the flexible structure. The benchmark solutions are proposed at steady state for the first problem, after a verification study with two open-source solvers and, at periodic state, after a validation with published experimental results for the second problem. Our benchmark solutions may be useful for verification study in future.     

On accuracy and efficiency of constrained reinitialization

The reinitialization, which is required to regularize the level set function, can be computationally expensive and hence is a determining factor for the overall efficiency of a level set method. However, it often has a significantly adverse impact on the accuracy of the level set solution. This short note is meant to shed light on the efficiency and accuracy issues of the reinitialization process. Using just one clearly defined level set propagation test case with an analytical solution the solutions obtained using a recently proposed efficient lower‐order constrained reinitialization (CR) scheme and standard low‐ and high‐order reinitialization schemes are juxtaposed to evidence the superiority of the novel CR formulation. It is shown that maintaining the location of the zero level set during the reinitialization is crucial for the accuracy and that the displacement caused by standard high‐order reinitialization schemes clearly outweighs the benefit of the high‐order smoothing of the level set function. Finally, results of a three‐dimensional problem are concisely reported to demonstrate the general applicability of the CR scheme. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Simulation of free-surface flows by a finite element interface capturing technique

Transient free-surface (FS) flows are numerically simulated by a finite element interface capturing method based on a level set approach. The methodology consists of the solution of two-fluid viscous incompressible flows for a single domain, where the liquid phase is identified by the positive values of the level set function, the gaseous phase by negative ones, and the FS by the zero level set. The numerical solution at each time step is performed in three stages: (i) a two-fluid Navier–Stokes stage, (ii) an advection stage for the transport of the level set function and (iii) a bounded reinitialisation with continuous penalisation stage for keeping smoothness of the level set function. The proposed procedure, and particularly the renormalisation stage, is evaluated in three typical two- and three-dimensional problems.     

A geometry‐based level set method for curvilinear overset grids with application to ship hydrodynamics

In a previous work (Int. J. Numer. Meth. Fluids 2007; 55 :867–897), we presented a two‐phase level set method to simulate air/water turbulent flows using curvilinear body‐fitted grids for ship hydrodynamics problems. This two‐phase level set method explicitly enforces jump conditions across the interface, thus resulting in a fully coupled representation of the air/water flow. Though the method works well with multiblock curvilinear grids, severe robustness problems were found when attempting to use it with overset grids. The problem was tracked to small unphysical level set discontinuities across the overset grids with large differences in curvature. Though negligible for single‐phase approaches, the problem magnifies with large density differences between the phases, causing computation failures. In this paper, we present a geometry‐based level set method for curvilinear overset grids that overcomes these difficulties. The level set transport and reinitialization equations are not discretized along grid coordinates, but along the upwind streamline and level set gradient directions, respectively. The method is essentially an unstructured approach that is transparent to the differences between overset grids, but still the discretization is under the framework of a finite differences approach. As a result, significant improvements in robustness and to a less extent in accuracy are achieved for the level set function interpolation between overset grids, especially with big differences in grid curvature. Example tests are shown for the case of bow breaking waves around the surface combatant model David Taylor Model Basin (DTMB) 5415 and for the steady‐state ONR Tumblehome DTMB 5613 with superstructure. In the first case, the results are compared against experimental data available and in the second against results of a semi‐coupled method. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.