The development of a Cartesian cut cell method for incompressible viscous flows

This paper describes the extension of the Cartesian cut cell method to applications involving unsteady incompressible viscous fluid flow. The underlying scheme is based on the solution of the full Navier–Stokes equations for a variable density fluid system using the artificial compressibility technique together with a Jameson‐type dual time iteration. The computational domain encompasses two fluid regions and the interface between them is treated as a contact discontinuity in the density field, thereby eliminating the need for special free surface tracking procedures. The Cartesian cut cell technique is used for fitting the complex geometry of solid boundaries across a stationary background Cartesian grid which is located inside the computational domain. A time accurate solution is achieved by using an implicit dual‐time iteration technique based on a slope‐limited, high‐order, Godunov‐type scheme for the inviscid fluxes, while the viscous fluxes are estimated using central differencing. Validation of the new technique is by modelling the unsteady Couette flow and the Rayleigh–Taylor instability problems. Finally, a test case for wave run‐up and overtopping over an impermeable sea dike is performed. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Numerical study of breaking waves by a two‐phase flow model

A two‐phase flow model, which solves the flow in the air and water simultaneously, is presented for modelling breaking waves in deep and shallow water, including wave pre‐breaking, overturning and post‐breaking processes. The model is based on the Reynolds‐averaged Navier–Stokes equations with the k ?ε turbulence model. The governing equations are solved by the finite volume method in a Cartesian staggered grid and the partial cell treatment is implemented to deal with complex geometries. The SIMPLE algorithm is utilised for the pressure‐velocity coupling and the air‐water interface is modelled by the interface capturing method via a high resolution volume of fluid scheme. The numerical model is validated by simulating overturning waves on a sloping beach and over a reef, and deep‐water breaking waves in a periodic domain, in which good agreement between numerical results and available experimental measurements for the water surface profiles during wave overturning is obtained. The overturning jet, air entrainment and splash‐up during wave breaking have been captured by the two‐phase flow model, which demonstrates the capability of the model to simulate free surface flow and wave breaking problems.Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A level set technique applied to unsteady free surface flows

An unsteady Navier–Stokes solver for incompressible fluid is coupled with a level set approach to describe free surface motions. The two‐phase flow of air and water is approximated by the flow of a single fluid whose properties, such as density and viscosity, change across the interface. The free surface location is captured as the zero level of a distance function convected by the flow field. To validate the numerical procedure, two classical two‐dimensional free surface problems in hydrodynamics, namely the oscillating flow in a tank and the waves generated by the flow over a bottom bump, are studied in non‐breaking conditions, and the results are compared with those obtained with other numerical approaches. To check the capability of the method in dealing with complex free surface configurations, the breaking regime produced by the flow over a high bump is analyzed. The analysis covers the successive stages of the breaking phenomenon: the steep wave evolution, the falling jet, the splash‐up and the air entrainment. In all phases, numerical results qualitatively agree with the experimental observations. Finally, to investigate a flow in which viscous effects are relevant, the numerical scheme is applied to study the wavy flow past a submerged hydrofoil. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Numerical simulations of inviscid and viscous free‐surface flows with application to nonlinear water waves

The purpose of the present study is to establish a numerical model appropriate for solving inviscid/viscous free‐surface flows related to nonlinear water wave propagation. The viscous model presented herein is based on the Navier–Stokes equations, and the free‐surface is calculated through an arbitrary Lagrangian–Eulerian streamfunction‐vorticity formulation. The streamfunction field is governed by the Poisson equation, and the vorticity is obtained on the basis of the vorticity transport equation. For computing the inviscid flow the Laplace streamfunction equation is used. These equations together with the respective (appropriate) fully nonlinear free‐surface boundary conditions are solved using a finite difference method. To demonstrate the model feasibility, in the present study we first simulate collision processes of two solitary waves of different amplitudes, and compute the phenomenon of overtaking of such solitary waves. The developed model is subsequently applied to calculate (both inviscid and the viscous) flow field, as induced by passing of a solitary wave over submerged rectangular structures and rigid ripple beds. Our study provides a reasonably good understanding of the behavior of (inviscid/viscous) free‐surface flows, within the framework of streamfunction‐vorticity formulation. The successful simulation of the above‐mentioned test cases seems to suggest that the arbitrary Lagrangian–Eulerian/streamfunction‐vorticity formulation is a potentially powerful approach, capable of effectively solving the fully nonlinear inviscid/viscous free‐surface flow interactions. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Inviscid instability of two-fluid free surface flow down an incline

The inviscid temporal stability analysis of two-fluid parallel shear flow with a free surface, down an incline, is studied. The velocity profiles are chosen as piecewise-linear with two limbs. The analysis reveals the existence of unstable inviscid modes, arising due to wave interaction between the free surface and the shear-jump interface. Surface tension decreases the maximum growth rate of the dominant disturbance. Interestingly, in some limits, surface tension destabilises extremely short waves in this flow. This can happen because of the interaction with the shear-jump interface. This flow may be compared with a corresponding viscous two-fluid flow. Though viscosity modifies the stability properties of the flow system both qualitatively and quantitatively, there is qualitative agreement between the viscous and inviscid stability analysis when the less viscous fluid is closer to the free surface.     

Simulation of ship breaking bow waves and induced vortices and scars

An unsteady single‐phase level set RANS method is used to resolve and investigate bow wave breaking around a surface combatant advancing in calm water, including induced vortices and free surface scars. A level set free surface capturing approach was extended and combined with local overset grid refinement for resolution of complex interfacial topologies and small‐scale free surface features. Although the focus of the paper is on wave breaking at Fr=0.35, results over three speeds (Fr=0.28, 0.35, and 0.41) show that the method can accurately predict the changes in resistance and free surface topology, with the two highest speeds showing bow wave breaking. For the Fr=0.35 case, comparison of wave elevation results shows good agreement with the data, including the development and thickening of the bow wave sheet, sequential formation of two overturning plungers with reconnections, and the formation of two free surface scars at the reconnection sites. The computational fluid dynamics (CFD) solution shows a steep shoulder wave, similar to the experiment, but does not predict the experimentally observed weak spilling breaking shoulder wave. Although the current predictions converge to steady state, the region of unsteady free surface measured experimentally can be reasonably well predicted from the region of the simulation where the wave slope exceeds 17°. Comparisons of velocity components and axial vorticity at four cross planes show that the method can accurately predict the wake of low axial velocity and vortical cross flow associated with the breaking bow wave. In addition, the simulation is used to explain the initial development of the overturning bow wave, induced vortices and scars and to fill in the relatively sparse experimental data set by providing a global picture of the axial vortex structure near the free surface. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

URANS simulations for a high-speed transom stern ship with breaking waves

An exploratory study of high-speed surface ship flows is performed to identify modelling and numerical issues, to test the predictive capability of an unsteady RANS method for such flows, to explain flow features observed experimentally, and to document results obtained in conjunction with the 2005 ONR Wave Breaking Workshop. Simulations are performed for a high-speed transom stern ship (R/V Athena I) at three speeds Froude number (Fr) = 0.25, 0.43 and 0.62 with the URANS code CFDSHIP-IOWA, which utilizes a single-phase level set method for free surface modelling. The two largest Fr are considered to be high-speed cases and exhibit strong breaking plunging bow waves. Structured overset grids are used for local refinement of the unsteady transom flow at medium speed and for small scale breaking bow and transom waves at high-speeds. All simulations are performed in a time accurate manner and an examination of time histories of resistance and free surface contours is used to assess the degree to which the solutions reach a steady state. The medium speed simulation shows a classical steady Kelvin wave pattern without breaking and a wetted naturally unsteady transom flow with shedding of vortices from the transom corner. At higher speeds, the solutions reach an essentially steady state and display intense bow wave breaking with repeated reconnection of the plunging breaker with the free surface, resulting in multiple free surface scars. The high-speed simulations also show a dry transom and an inboard breaking wave, followed by outboard breaking waves downstream. In comparison to an earlier dataset, resistance is well predicted over the three speeds. The free surface predictions are compared with recent measurements at the two lowest speeds and show good agreement for both non-breaking and breaking waves.     

REDUCED-ORDER MODELS OF UNSTEADY VISCOUS FLOWS IN TURBOMACHINERY USING VISCOUS–INVISCID COUPLING

The proper orthogonal decomposition technique is applied in the frequency domain to obtain a reduced-order model of the flow in a turbomachinery cascade. The flow is described by an inviscid–viscous interaction model where the inviscid part is described by the full potential equation and the viscous part is described by an integral boundary layer model. The fully nonlinear steady flow is computed and the unsteady flow is linearized about the steady solution. A frequency-domain model is constructed and validated, showing to provide similar results when compared with previous computational and experimental data presented in the literature. The full model is used to obtain a reduced-order model in the frequency domain. A cascade of airfoils forming a slightly modified Tenth Standard Configuration is investigated to show that the reduced-order model with only 25 degrees of freedom accurately predicts the unsteady response of the full system with approximately 10 000 degrees of freedom.     

Computation of unsteady transonic flow over a fighter wing using a zonal Navier–Stokes/full‐potential method

An improved hybrid method for computing unsteady compressible viscous flows is presented. This method divides the computational domain into two zones. In the inner zone, the Navier–Stokes equations are solved using a diagonal form of an alternating‐direction implicit (ADI) approximate factorisation procedure. In the outer zone, the unsteady full‐potential equation (FPE) is solved. The two zones are tightly coupled so that steady and unsteady flows may be efficiently solved. Characteristic‐based viscous/inviscid interface boundary conditions are employed to avoid spurious reflections at that interface. The resulting CPU times are about 60% of the full Navier–Stokes CPU times for unsteady flows in non‐vector processing machines. Applications of the method are presented for a F‐5 wing in steady and unsteady transonic flows. Steady surface pressures are in very good agreement with experimental data and are essentially identical to the full Navier–Stokes predictions. Density contours show that shocks cross the viscous/inviscid interface smoothly, so that the accuracy of full Navier–Stokes equations can be retained with significant savings in computational time. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Application of local grid refinement to vortex motion due to a solitary wave passing over a submerged body

A numerical method based on the streamfunction–vorticity formulation is applied to simulate the two‐dimensional, transient, viscous flow with a free surface. This method successfully uses the locally refined grid in an inviscid–viscous model to explore the processes of vortex formation due to a solitary wave passing over a submerged bluff body. The two particular bodies considered here are a blunt rectangular block and a semicircular cylinder. Flow visualization to track dyelines is carried out in the laboratory in order to confirm the validity of the numerical results. Numerical results examined by different grid configurations ensure the locally refined grid to be useful in practical application. Flow phenomena, including the vortex motion and wave patterns during non‐linear wave–structure interaction, are also discussed. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Free‐surface flow over a semi‐circular obstruction

The fully non‐linear free‐surface flow over a semi‐circular bottom obstruction was studied numerically in two dimensions using a mixed Eulerian–Lagrangian formulation. The problem was solved in the time domain that allows the prediction of a number of transient phenomena, such as the generation of upstream advancing solitary waves, as well as the simulation of wave breaking. A parametric study was performed for a range of values of the depth‐based Froude number up to 2.5 and non‐dimensional obstacle heights, α up to 0.9. When wave breaking does not occur, three distinct flow regimes were identified: subcritical, transcritical and supercritical. When breaking occurs it may be of any type: spilling, plunging or surging. In addition, for values of the Froude number close to 1, the upstream solitary waves break. A systematic study was undertaken to define the boundaries of each type of breaking and non‐breaking pattern and to determine the drag and lift coefficients, free‐surface profile characteristics and transient behavior. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

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.     

A meshless method for numerical simulation of depth‐averaged turbulence flows using a k‐ϵ model

A three‐dimensional numerical model is developed to analyze free surface flows and water impact problems. The flow of an incompressible viscous fluid is solved using the unsteady Navier–Stokes equations. Pseudo‐time derivatives are introduced into the equations to improve computational efficiency. The interface between the two phases is tracked using a volume‐of‐fluid interface tracking algorithm developed in a generalized curvilinear coordinate system. The accuracy of the volume‐of‐fluid method is first evaluated by the multiple numerical benchmark tests, including two‐dimensional and three‐dimensional deformation cases on curvilinear grids. The performance and capability of the numerical model for water impact problems are demonstrated by simulations of water entries of the free‐falling hemisphere and cone, based on comparisons of water impact loadings, velocities, and penetrations of the body with experimental data. For further validation, computations of the dam‐break flows are presented, based on an analysis of the wave front propagation, water level, and the dynamic pressure impact of the waves on the downstream walls, on a specific container, and on a tall structure. Extensive comparisons between the obtained solutions, the experimental data, and the results of other numerical simulations in the literature are presented and show a good agreement. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

An unsteady single‐phase level set method for viscous free surface flows

The single‐phase level set method for unsteady viscous free surface flows is presented. In contrast to the standard level set method for incompressible flows, the single‐phase level set method is concerned with the solution of the flow field in the water (or the denser) phase only. Some of the advantages of such an approach are that the interface remains sharp, the computation is performed within a fluid with uniform properties and that only minor computations are needed in the air. The location of the interface is determined using a signed distance function, and appropriate interpolations at the fluid/fluid interface are used to enforce the jump conditions. A reinitialization procedure has been developed for non‐orthogonal grids with large aspect ratios. A convective extension is used to obtain the velocities at previous time steps for the grid points in air, which allows a good estimation of the total derivatives. The method was applied to three unsteady tests: a plane progressive wave, sloshing in a two‐dimensional tank, and the wave diffraction problem for a surface ship, and the results compared against analytical solutions or experimental data. The method can in principle be applied to any problem in which the standard level set method works, as long as the stress on the second phase can be specified (or neglected) and no bubbles appear in the flow during the computation. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Existence of Global Strong Solutions to a Beam–Fluid Interaction System

We study an unsteady nonlinear fluid–structure interaction problem which is a simplified model to describe blood flow through viscoelastic arteries. We consider a Newtonian incompressible two-dimensional flow described by the Navier–Stokes equations set in an unknown domain depending on the displacement of a structure, which itself satisfies a linear viscoelastic beam equation. The fluid and the structure are fully coupled via interface conditions prescribing the continuity of the velocities at the fluid–structure interface and the action–reaction principle. We prove that strong solutions to this problem are global-in-time. We obtain, in particular that contact between the viscoelastic wall and the bottom of the fluid cavity does not occur in finite time. To our knowledge, this is the first occurrence of a no-contact result, and of the existence of strong solutions globally in time, in the frame of interactions between a viscous fluid and a deformable structure.     

Wave propagation through mangrove forests in the presence of a viscoelastic bed

The influence of viscoelastic ocean beds on the characteristics of surface waves passing through mangrove forests is analyzed under the assumption of linearized water wave theory in two dimensions. The trunks of the mangroves are assumed to be in the upper-layer inviscid fluid domain, whilst the roots are inside the viscoelastic bed. The associated equation of motion is obtained by coupling the Voigt’s model for flow within the viscoelastic medium with the equation of motion in the presence of mangroves. The modified dynamic conditions are coupled with the kinematic conditions to obtain the boundary condition at the free surface and the interface of the two fluids consisting of the upper layer inviscid fluid and the viscoelastic fluid bed. To understand the effects of bed viscosity as well as elasticity on energy dissipation, the complex dispersion relation associated with the plane progressive wave is derived and analyzed. Effect of physical parameters associated with mangroves and viscoelastic bed on wave motion in surface and internal modes are computed and analyzed to understand their roles in attenuating wave effects. The present model will be useful in the better understanding of wave propagation through mangroves in the coastal zone having muddy seabed.     

Numerical modeling of wave interactions with coastal structures by a constrained interpolation profile/immersed boundary method

A high‐order difference method based multiphase model is proposed to simulate nonlinear interactions between water wave and submerged coastal structures. The model is based on the Navier–Stokes equations using a constrained interpolation profile (CIP) method for the flow solver, and employs an immersed boundary method (IBM) for the treatment of wave–structure interactions. A more accurate interface capturing scheme, the volume of fluid/weighed line interface calculation (VOF/WLIC) scheme, is adopted as the interface capturing method. A series of computations are performed to verify the application of the model for simulations of fluid interaction with various structures. These problems include flow over a fixed cylinder, water entry of a circular cylinder and solitary waves passing various submerged coastal structures. Computations are compared with the available analytical, experimental and other numerical results and good agreement is obtained. The results of this study demonstrate the accuracy and applications of the proposed model to simulate the nonlinear flow phenomena and capture the complex free surface flow. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A fully coupled Navier–Stokes solver for calculation of turbulent incompressible free surface flow past a ship hull

This paper deals with the calculation of free surface flow of viscous incompressible fluid around the hull of a boat moving with rectilinear motion. An original method used to avoid a large part of the theoretical problems connected with free surface boundary conditions in three‐dimensional Navier–Stokes–Reynolds equations is proposed here. The linearised system of convective equations for velocities, pressure and free surface elevation unknowns is discretised by finite differences and two methods to solve the fully coupled resulting matrix are presented here. The non‐linear convergence of fully coupled algorithm is compared with the velocity–pressure weakly coupled algorithm SIMPLER. Turbulence is taken into account through Reynolds decomposition and k–ε or k–ω model to close the equations. These two models are implemented without wall function and numerical calculations are performed up to the viscous sub‐layer. Numerical results and comparisons with experiments are presented on the Series 60 CB=0.60 ship model for a Reynolds number Rn=4.5×10⁶ and a Froude number Fn=0.316. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.