A partitioned strongly coupled fluid-structure interaction method to model heart valve dynamics

A new method for the calculation of fluid-structure interaction (FSI) of highly flexible bodies is presented. This innovative algorithm demonstrates the strong coupling of a commercial computational fluid dynamics code with an in-house coded structural solver. The strong response of the pressure distribution to the displacement can be approximated by a reduced order model for the fluid solver. The Jacobian of this reduced order model is then used in the structural solver to obtain a stable and full implicit iteration scheme. The method is demonstrated on a 2D model of a flexible aortic valve during the cardiac cycle. Furthermore, the model is able to calculate shear stresses on the leaflet.     

Time-adaptive multirate generalized-structure additively partitioned Runge-Kutta schemes for mechanical fluid-structure interaction

We extend the multirate GARK approach by Günther and Sandu [1, 2] to the case of non-constant micro steps per macro step to be able to cover time adaptivity, arriving at our so-called TAMGARK scheme and derive order conditions for arbitrary non-constant micro step sizes. The TAMGARK scheme is applied to the classical piston problem [3] to study the interaction between the piston and inviscid fluid flow in one spatial dimension. We demonstrate the functionality of the chosen time-adaptation strategy and the ability of the overall scheme to preserve the order of the basic schemes. (© 2016 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Bubble simulations with an interface tracking technique based on a partitioned fluid-structure interaction algorithm

Numerical techniques frequently used for the simulation of one bubble can be classified as interface tracking techniques and interface capturing techniques. Most of these techniques calculate both the flow around the bubble and the shape of the interface between the gas and the liquid with one code. In this paper, a rising axisymmetric bubble is simulated with an interface tracking technique that uses separate codes to determine the position of the gas-liquid interface and to calculate the flow around the bubble. The grid converged results correspond well with the experimental data.The gas-liquid interface is conceived as a zero-mass, zero-thickness structure whose position is determined by the liquid forces, a uniform gas pressure and surface tension. Iterations between the two codes are necessary to obtain the coupled solution of both problems and these iterations are stabilized with a fluid-structure interaction (FSI) algorithm. The flow around the bubble is calculated on a moving mesh in a reference frame that rises at the same speed as the bubble. The flow solver first updates the mesh throughout the liquid domain given a position of the gas-liquid interface and then calculates the flow around the bubble. It is considered as a black box with the position of the gas-liquid interface as input and the liquid forces on the interface as output. During the iterations, a reduced-order model of the flow solver is generated from the inputs and outputs of the solver. The solver that calculates the interface position uses this model to adapt the liquid forces on the gas-liquid interface during the calculation of the interface position.     

Numerical simulation of fluid-structure interaction problems by a coupled SPH-FEM approach

In scientific computing there is a great interest in numerical simulation of fluid-structure interaction (FSI) problems. Within this work a numerical approach to simulate fluid-structure interactions between elastic structures and weakly incompressible fluids is developed. For the fluid part and the solid part the Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics method (SPH) and the Finite Element Method (FEM) are used, respectively. To transfer the resulting reaction forces from the fluid particles onto the structure's surface two methods are implemented, investigated and compared. (© 2016 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

A coupled NMM-SPH method for fluid-structure interaction problems

The main challenges in the numerical simulation of fluid–structure interaction (FSI) problems include the solid fracture, the free surface fluid flow, and the interactions between the solid and the fluid. Aiming to improve the treatment of these issues, a new coupled scheme is developed in this paper. For the solid structure, the Numerical Manifold Method (NMM) is adopted, in which the solid is allowed to change from continuum to discontinuum. The Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) method, which is suitable for free interface flow problem, is used to model the motion of fluids. A contact algorithm is then developed to handle the interaction between NMM elements and SPH particles. Three numerical examples are tested to validate the coupled NMM-SPH method, including the hydrostatic pressure test, dam-break simulation and crack propagation of a gravity dam under hydraulic pressure. Numerical modeling results indicate that the coupled NMM-SPH method can not only simulate the interaction of the solid structure and the fluid as in conventional methods, but also can predict the failure of the solid structure.     

Incremental displacement-correction schemes for incompressible fluid-structure interaction

In this paper we introduce a class of incremental displacement-correction schemes for the explicit coupling of a thin-structure with an incompressible fluid. These methods enforce a specific Robin–Neumann explicit treatment of the interface coupling. We provide a general stability and convergence analysis that covers both the incremental and the non-incremental variants. Their stability properties are independent of the added-mass effect. The superior accuracy of the incremental schemes (with respect to the original non-incremental variant) is highlighted by the error estimates, and then confirmed in a benchmark by numerical experiments.     

On fluid-structure interaction in transonic wind tunnels

This paper studies the interaction (influence) of perforated walls of transonic wind tunnels in two-dimensional investigations which employ the generalized method for solving Dirichlets problem formulated for the rectangle of the transonic wind tunnel work section. The algorithm has been applied to the aerodynamic experimental results from investigations of NACA 0012 airfoil obtained at the VTI – Aeronautical Institute and the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering in Belgrade to demonstrate in two-dimensional investigations the appropriateness of the presented advanced algorithm for the calculation of the interference of the transonic wind tunnel wall. (© 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Boundary elements in fluid-structure interaction problems rotational shells

The use of the finite element method for structural analysis is now commonplace. In the analysis of offshore structures parts of the structure are often in contact with a fluid either internally or externally. The fluid will affect the natural frequencies and mode shapes of the structure. In this paper a general purpose package of computer programs based on the boundary element method, for the solution of such problems is described. The specific example of the forced response of a pressure vessel containing a compressible fluid with a free surface is discussed as a worst case example. Simpler examples of situations incorporating only some of the features of this problem are also discussed.     

Space-time discontinuous Galerkin method for the solution of fluid-structure interaction

The paper is concerned with the application of the space-time discontinuous Galerkin method (STDGM) to the numerical solution of the interaction of a compressible flow and an elastic structure. The flow is described by the system of compressible Navier-Stokes equations written in the conservative form. They are coupled with the dynamic elasticity system of equations describing the deformation of the elastic body, induced by the aerodynamical force on the interface between the gas and the elastic structure. The domain occupied by the fluid depends on time. It is taken into account in the Navier-Stokes equations rewritten with the aid of the arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian (ALE) method. The resulting coupled system is discretized by the STDGM using piecewise polynomial approximations of the sought solution both in space and time. The developed method can be applied to the solution of the compressible flow for a wide range of Mach numbers and Reynolds numbers. For the simulation of elastic deformations two models are used: the linear elasticity model and the nonlinear neo-Hookean model. The main goal is to show the robustness and applicability of the method to the simulation of the air flow in a simplified model of human vocal tract and the flow induced vocal folds vibrations. It will also be shown that in this case the linear elasticity model is not adequate and it is necessary to apply the nonlinear model.     

A 3D non-Newtonian fluid-structure interaction model for blood flow in arteries

The mathematical modelling and numerical simulation of the human cardiovascular system is playing nowadays an important role in the comprehension of the genesis and development of cardiovascular diseases. In this paper we deal with two problems of 3D modelling and simulation in this field, which are very often neglected in the literature. On the one hand blood flow in arteries is characterized by travelling pressure waves due to the interaction of blood with the vessel wall. On the other hand, blood exhibits non-Newtonian properties, like shear-thinning, viscoelasticity and thixotropy. The present work is concerned with the coupling of a generalized Newtonian fluid, accounting for the shear-thinning behaviour of blood, with an elastic structure describing the vessel wall, to capture the pulse wave due to the interaction between blood and the vessel wall. We provide an energy estimate for the coupling and compare the numerical results with those obtained with an equivalent fluid-structure interaction model using a Newtonian fluid.     

Interface feedback control stabilization of a nonlinear fluid-structure interaction

We consider a model of fluid-structure interaction in a bounded domain Ω∈Rⁿ, n=2, where Ω is comprised of two open adjacent sub-domains occupied, respectively, by the solid and the fluid. This leads to a study of the Navier-Stokes equation coupled on the boundary with the dynamic system of elasticity. We shall consider models where the elastic body exhibits small but rapid oscillations. These are established models arising in engineering applications when the structure is immersed in a viscous flow of liquid. Questions related to the stability of finite energy solutions are of paramount interest.It was shown in Lasiecka and Lu (2011) [14] that all data of finite energy produce solutions whose energy converges strongly to zero. The cited result holds under “partial flatness” geometric condition whose role is to control the effects of the pressure in the NS equation. Related conditions has been used in Avalos and Triggiani (2008) [23] for the analysis of the linear model. The goal of the present work is to study uniform stability of all finite energy solutions corresponding to nonlinear interaction. This particular question, of interest in its own rights, is also a necessary preliminary step for the analysis of optimal control strategies arising in infinite-horizon control problems associated with the structure. It is shown in this paper that a stress type feedback control applied on the interface of the structure produces solutions whose energy is exponentially stable.     

An adaptive level set method for shock-driven fluid-structure interaction

The fluid-structure interaction simulation of shock- and detonation-loaded structures requires numerical methods that can cope with large deformations as well as local topology changes. A robust, level-set-based shock-capturing fluid solver is described that allows coupling to any solid mechanics solver. As computational example, the elastic response of a thin steel panel, modeled with both shell and beam theory, to a shock wave in air is considered. (© 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Numerical study on the fluid-structure interaction in a model aquatic canopy flow

This work presents numerical simulations and selected results of the flow over aquatic canopies, consisting of artificial flexible rectangular blades, arranged in a well-defined order. The results obtained with three different Reynolds and Cauchy numbers are compared with experimental data achieving good agreement. The considered range of Cauchy numbers represents three different types of canopies ranging from rigid up to highly flexible plants. The transient flow data and blade positions are statistically analyzed to gain deeper understanding of the complex physical processes for this kind of fluid structure interaction. For example, the correlation of role of large scale motion of the flexible blades in conjunction with coherent vortex structures of the flow is addressed. (© 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Generic constructions for partitioned difference families with applications: a unified combinatorial approach

Partitioned difference families are an interesting class of discrete structures which can be used to derive optimal constant composition codes. There have been intensive researches on the construction of partitioned difference families. In this paper, we consider the combinatorial approach. We introduce a new combinatorial configuration named partitioned relative difference family, which proves to be very powerful in the construction of partitioned difference families. In particular, we present two general recursive constructions, which not only include some existing constructions as special cases, but also generate many new series of partitioned difference families. As an application, we use these partitioned difference families to construct several new classes of optimal constant composition codes.     

Backward uniqueness of the s.c. semigroup arising in parabolic-hyperbolic fluid-structure interaction

A 2-d or 3-d fluid-structure interaction model in its linear form is considered, for which semigroup well-posedness (with explicit generator) was recently established in [G. Avalos, R. Triggiani, The coupled PDE-system arising in fluid-structure interaction. Part I: Explicit semigroup generator and its spectral properties, in: Fluids and Waves, in: Contemp. Math., vol. 440, Amer. Math. Soc., 2007, pp. 15-55; G. Avalos, R. Triggiani, The coupled PDE-system arising in fluid-structure interaction. Part II: Uniform stabilization with boundary dissipation at the interface, Discrete Contin. Dyn. Syst., in press]. This is a system which couples at the interface the linear version of the Navier-Stokes equations with the equations of linear elasticity (wave-like). In this paper, we establish a backward uniqueness theorem for such a parabolic-hyperbolic coupled PDE system. If {eAt}_t?0 is the (contraction) s.c. semigroup describing its evolution on the finite energy space H, then eATy₀=0 for some T>0 and y₀∈H, implies y₀=0. This property has implications in establishing unique continuation and controllability properties, as in the case of thermoelastic equations [M. Eller, I. Lasiecka, R. Triggiani, Simultaneous exact/approximate boundary controllability of thermoelastic plates with variable coefficient, in: Marcel Dekker Lect. Notes Pure Appl. Math., vol. 216, February 2001, pp. 109-230, invited paper for the special volume entitled Shape Optimization and Optimal Designs, J. Cagnol, J.P. Zolesio (Eds). (Preliminary version is in invited paper in: A.V. Balakrishnan (Ed.), Semigroup of Operators and Applications, Birkhäuser, 2000, pp. 335-351.); M. Eller, I. Lasiecka, R. Triggiani, Simultaneous exact/approximate boundary controllability of thermoelastic plates with variable thermal coefficient and moment control, J. Math. Anal. Appl. 251 (2000) 452-478; M. Eller, I. Lasiecka, R. Triggiani, Simultaneous exact/approximate boundary controllability of thermoelastic plates with variable thermal coefficient and clamped controls, Discrete Contin. Dyn. Syst. 7 (2) (2001) 283-301].     

Numerical simulation of fluid-structure interaction problems on hybrid meshes with algebraic multigrid methods

Fluid-structure interaction problems arise in many fields of application such as flows around elastic structures and blood flow in arteries. The method presented in this paper for solving such a problem is based on a reduction to an equation at the interface, involving the so-called Steklov-Poincaré operators. This interface equation is solved by a Newton iteration, for which directional derivatives involving shape derivatives with respect to the interface perturbation have to be evaluated appropriately. One step of the Newton iteration requires the solution of several decoupled linear sub-problems in the structure and the fluid domains. These sub-problems are spatially discretized by a finite element method on hybrid meshes. For the time discretization, implicit first-order methods are used for both sub-problems. The discretized equations are solved by algebraic multigrid methods.     

Solving fluid-structure interaction problems using strong coupling algorithms with the component template library (CTL)

In this note fluid–structure interaction problems are treated with a partitioned approach where the different solvers are transformed into software components which communicate with the help of the component template library (CTL). The implementation is explained and a numerical result shows the advantages of the numerical method. (© 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

The order of convergence of eigenfrequencies in finite element approximations of fluid-structure interaction problems

In this paper we prove a double order for the convergence of eigenfrequencies in fluid-structure vibration problems. We improve estimates given recently for compressible and incompressible fluids. To do this, we extend classical results on finite element spectral approximation to nonconforming methods for noncompact operators.