Application of finite element method in aeroelasticity

The subject of this paper is the numerical simulation of the interaction of two-dimensional incompressible viscous flow and a vibrating airfoil, which can rotate around the elastic axis and oscillate in the vertical direction. The numerical simulation consists of the finite element approximation of the Navier–Stokes equations coupled with the system of ordinary differential equations describing the airfoil motion. The arbitrary Lagrangian–Eulerian (ALE) formulation of the Navier–Stokes equations, stabilization the finite element discretization and coupling of both models is discussed. Moreover, the Reynolds averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) system of equations together with the Spallart–Almaras turbulence model is also discussed. The computational results of aeroelastic calculations are presented and compared with the NASTRAN code solutions.     

Numerical modeling of turbulence-induced interfacial instability in two-phase flow with moving interface

The present paper introduces a new interfacial marker-level set method (IMLS) which is coupled with the Reynolds averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) equations to predict the turbulence-induced interfacial instability of two-phase flow with moving interface. The governing RANS equations for time-dependent, axisymmetric and incompressible two-phase flow are described in both phases and solved separately using the control volume approach on structured cell-centered collocated grids. The transition from one phase to another is performed through a consistent balance of kinematic and dynamic conditions on the interface separating the two phases. The topological changes of the interface are predicted by applying the level set approach. By fitting a number of interfacial markers on the intersection points of the computational grids with the interface, the interfacial stresses and consequently, the interfacial driving forces are easily estimated. Moreover, the normal interface velocity, calculated at the interfacial markers positions, can be extended to the higher dimensional level set function and used for the interface advection process. The performance of linear and non-linear two-equation k–ε turbulence models is investigated in the context of the considered two-phase flow impinging problem, where a turbulent gas jet impinging on a free liquid surface. The numerical results obtained are evaluated through the comparison with the available experimental and analytical data. The nonlinear turbulence model showed superiority in predicting the interface deformation resulting from turbulent normal stresses. However, both linear and nonlinear turbulence models showed a similar behavior in predicting the interface deformation due to turbulent tangential stresses. In general, the developed IMLS numerical method showed a remarkable capability in predicting the dynamics of the considered two-phase immiscible flow problems and therefore it can be applied to quite a number of interface stability problems.     

Computational fluid dynamics modelling of gas jets impinging onto liquid pools

Gas jets impinging onto a gas–liquid interface of a liquid pool are studied using computational fluid dynamics modelling, which aims to obtain a better understanding of the behaviour of the gas jets used metallurgical engineering industry. The gas and liquid flows are modelled using the volume of fluid technique. The governing equations are formulated using the density and viscosity of the “gas–liquid mixture”, which are described in terms of the phase volume fraction. Reynolds averaging is applied to yield a set of Reynolds-averaged conservation equations for the mass and momentum, and the k–ε turbulence model. The deformation of the gas–liquid interface is modelled by the pressure jump across the interface via the Young–Laplace equation. The governing equations in the axisymmetric cylindrical coordinates are solved using the commercial CFD code, FLUENT. The computed results are compared with experimental and theoretical data reported in the literature. The CFD modelling allows the simultaneous evaluation of the gas flow field, the free liquid surface and the bulk liquid flow, and provides useful insight to the highly complex, and industrially significant flows in the jetting system.     

Numerical simulation of airfoil vibrations induced by turbulent flow

The subject of this paper is the numerical simulation of the interaction between two-dimensional incompressible viscous flow and a vibrating airfoil. A solid elastically supported airfoil with two degrees of freedom, which can rotate around the elastic axis and oscillate in the vertical direction, is considered. The numerical simulation consists of the stabilized finite element solution of the Reynolds averaged Navier–Stokes equations with algebraic models of turbulence, coupled with the system of ordinary differential equations describing the airfoil motion. Since the computational domain is time dependent and the grid is moving, the Arbitrary Lagrangian–Eulerian (ALE) method is used. The developed method was applied to the simulation of flow-induced airfoil vibrations.     

Control of a mechanical aeration process via topological sensitivity analysis

The topological sensitivity analysis method gives the variation of a criterion with respect to the creation of a small hole in the domain. In this paper, we use this method to control the mechanical aeration process in eutrophic lakes. A simplified model based on incompressible Navier–Stokes equations is used, only considering the liquid phase, which is the dominant one. The injected air is taken into account through local boundary conditions for the velocity, on the injector holes. A 3D numerical simulation of the aeration effects is proposed using a mixed finite element method. In order to generate the best motion in the fluid for aeration purposes, the optimization of the injector location is considered. The main idea is to carry out topological sensitivity analysis with respect to the insertion of an injector. Finally, a topological optimization algorithm is proposed and some numerical results, showing the efficiency of our approach, are presented.     

A staggered-grid numerical algorithm for the extended Boussinesq equations

A second-order accurate numerical scheme is developed to solve Nwogu’s extended Boussinesq equations. A staggered-grid system is introduced with the first-order spatial derivatives being discretized by the fourth-order accurate finite-difference scheme. For the time derivatives, the fourth-order accurate Adams predictor–corrector method is used. The numerical method is validated against available analytical solutions, other numerical results of Navier–Stokes equations, and experimental data for both 1D and 2D nonlinear wave transformation problems. It is shown that the new algorithm has very good conservative characteristics for mass calculation. As a result, the model can provide accurate and stable results for long-term simulation. The model has proven to be a useful modeling tool for a wide range of water wave problems.     

Numerical verification of stationary solutions for Navier–Stokes problems

We present a numerical method to enclose stationary solutions of the Navier–Stokes equations, especially 2-D driven cavity problem with regularized boundary condition. Our method is based on the infinite dimensional Newton's method by estimating the inverse of the corresponding linearized operator. The method can be applied to the case for high Reynolds numbers and we show some numerical examples which confirm us the actual effectiveness.     

A reduced-order finite difference extrapolation algorithm based on POD technique for the non-stationary Navier–Stokes equations

In this paper, a proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) technique is used to establish a reduced-order finite difference (FD) extrapolation algorithm with lower dimensions and sufficiently high accuracy for the non-stationary Navier–Stokes equations, and the error estimates between the reduced-order FD solutions and the classical FD solutions and the implementation for solving the reduced-order FD extrapolation algorithm are provided. Two numerical examples illustrate the fact that the results of numerical computation are consistent with theoretical conclusions. Moreover, it is shown that the reduced-order FD extrapolation algorithm based on POD method is feasible and efficient for solving the non-stationary Navier–Stokes equations.     

Steady flow of incompressible fluid between two co-rotating disks

This article provides an analytical solution of the Navier–Stokes equations for the case of the steady flow of an incompressible fluid between two uniformly co-rotating disks. The solution is derived from the asymptotical evolution of unknown components of velocity and pressure in a radial direction – in contrast to the Briter–Pohlhausen analytical solution, which is supported by simplified Navier–Stokes equations. The obtained infinite system of ordinary differential equations forms recurrent relations from which unknown functions can be calculated successively. The first and second approximations of solution are solved analytically and the third and fourth approximations of solutions are solved numerically. The numerical example demonstrates agreements with results obtained by other authors using different methods.     

Modelling and simulation of moving interfaces in gas-assisted injection moulding process

The mathematical models of gas–liquid two-phase flow are introduced, in which the multi-mode eXtended Pom–Pom (XPP) model is selected to predict the viscoelastic behavior of polymer melt. The gas-penetration process is simulated using Level Set/SIMPLEC methods, which can capture the moving interfaces at different time, including the gas–melt interface and the melt front. The physical features such as velocity, temperature and elasticity are described at different time. The influences of gas delay time and injection pressure on gas-penetration time and penetration length are analyzed. The numerical results show that the Level Set/SIMPLEC methods can precisely trace the two moving interfaces in gas-penetration process, the fractional coverage increases at very low Deborah numbers, while at higher Deborah numbers the fractional coverage decreases, and the penetration length is affected significantly by gas delay time and injection pressure.     

Large deviations for the two-dimensional Navier–Stokes equations with multiplicative noise

A Wentzell–Freidlin type large deviation principle is established for the two-dimensional Navier–Stokes equations perturbed by a multiplicative noise in both bounded and unbounded domains. The large deviation principle is equivalent to the Laplace principle in our function space setting. Hence, the weak convergence approach is employed to obtain the Laplace principle for solutions of stochastic Navier–Stokes equations. The existence and uniqueness of a strong solution to (a) stochastic Navier–Stokes equations with a small multiplicative noise, and (b) Navier–Stokes equations with an additional Lipschitz continuous drift term are proved for unbounded domains which may be of independent interest.     

Numerical simulation of three-dimensional incompressible fluid in a box flow passage considering fluid–structure interaction by differential quadrature method

A numerical simulation scheme of 3D incompressible viscous fluid in a box flow passage is developed to solve Navier–Stokes (N–S) equations by firstly taking fluid–structure interaction (FSI) into account. This numerical scheme with FSI is based on the polynomial differential quadrature (PDQ) approximation technique, in which motions of both the fluid and the solid boundary structures are well described. The flow passage investigated consists of four rectangular plates, of which two are rigid, while another two are elastic. In the simulation the elastic plates are allowed to vibrate subjected to excitation of the time-dependent dynamical pressure induced by the unsteady flow in the passage. Meanwhile, the vibrating plates change the flow pattern by producing many transient sources and sinks on the plates. The effects of FSI on the flow are evaluated by running numerical examples with the incoming flow’s Reynolds numbers of 3000, 7000 and 10,000, respectively. Numerical computations show that FSI has significant influence on both the velocity and pressure fields, and the DQ method developed here is effective for modelling 3D incompressible viscous fluid with FSI.     

Mathematical Modeling of Magnetohydrodynamic Processes in an Aluminum Electrolyzer

We model the electrolysis of aluminum in specific electrolysis baths. A model of the physical process is proposed, allowing for the specific bath design, including the state of the bottom surface. The mathematical model utilizes the information capabilities of the Navier–Stokes equations written for the metal and the electrolyte media. The multidimensional system of equations enables us to consider the magnetohydrodynamic processes in two media and the interaction of the media. The problem is solved numerically. The calculations simulate the interface dynamics and the distribution of velocities and currents in the middle layer in both media. The numerical results are compared with physical experiments.     

Modeling of thermal phenomena in single laser beam and laser-arc hybrid welding processes using projection method

This paper concerns mathematical and numerical modeling of thermal phenomena accompanying single laser and laser-arc hybrid butt welding of steel sheets. Coupled heat transfer and fluid flow in the fusion zone were described respectively by transient heat transfer equation and Navier–Stokes equation. Laser beam and electric arc heat sources were modeled using different heat source power distributions. Latent heat associated with the material’s state changes, buoyancy forces and liquid material flow through a porous medium were taken into account in considerations. Differential governing equations were numerically solved using projection method combined with finite volume method. Elaborated solution algorithm was implemented into computer solver used for simulation of heat transfer and fluid flow during welding. The geometry of the weld and heat affected zone as well as cooling rates were estimated on the basis of numerically obtained temperature field.     

Numerical simulation of thermal problems coupled with magnetohydrodynamic effects in aluminium cell

A system of partial differential equations describing the thermal behavior of aluminium cell coupled with magnetohydrodynamic effects is numerically solved. The thermal model is considered as a two-phases Stefan problem which consists of a non-linear convection–diffusion heat equation with Joule effect as a source. The magnetohydrodynamic fields are governed by Navier–Stokes and by static Maxwell equations. A pseudo-evolutionary scheme (Chernoff) is used to obtain the stationary solution giving the temperature and the frozen layer profile for the simulation of the ledges in the cell. A numerical approximation using a finite element method is formulated to obtain the fluid velocity, electrical potential, magnetic induction and temperature. An iterative algorithm and 3-D numerical results are presented.     

Block mesh refinement for incompressible flows in curvilinear domains

A method for the solution of the Navier–Stokes equation for the prediction of flows inside domains of arbitrary shaped bounds by the use of Cartesian grids with block-refinement in space is presented. In order to avoid the complexity of the body fitted numerical grid generation procedure, we use a saw tooth method for the curvilinear geometry approximation. By using block-nested refinement, we achieved the desired geometry Cartesian approximation in order to find an accurate solution of the N–S equations. The method is applied to incompressible laminar flows and is based on a cell-centred approximation. We present the numerical simulation of the flow field for two geometries, driven cavity and stenosed tubes. The utility of the algorithm is tested by comparing the convergence characteristics and accuracy to those of the standard single grid algorithm. The Cartesian block refinement algorithm can be used in any complex curvilinear geometry simulation, to accomplish a reduction in memory requirements and the computational time effort.     

Convergence analysis of an implicit fractional-step method for the incompressible Navier–Stokes equations

In this paper, an implicit fractional-step method for numerical solutions of the incompressible Navier–Stokes equations is studied. The time advancement is decomposed into a sequence of two steps, and the first step can be seen as a linear elliptic problem; on the other hand, the second step has the structure of the Stokes problem. The two problems satisfy the full homogeneous Dirichlet boundary conditions on the velocity. At the same time, we introduce a diffusion term −θΔu in all steps of the schemes. It allows to calculate by the large time step and enhance numerical stability by choosing the proper parameter values of θ. The convergence analysis and error estimates for the intermediate velocities, the end-of step velocities and the pressure solution are derived. Finally, numerical experiments show that the feasibility and effectiveness of this method.     

Compressible Navier–Stokes approximation to the Boltzmann equation

Even though the system of the compressible Navier–Stokes equations is not a limiting system of the Boltzmann equation when the Knudsen number tends to zero, it is the second order approximation by applying the Chapman–Enskog expansion. The purpose of this paper is to justify this approximation rigorously in mathematics. That is, if the difference between the initial data for the compressible Navier–Stokes equations and the Boltzmann equation is of the second order of the Knudsen number, so is the difference between two solutions for all time. The analysis is based on a refined energy method for a fluid-type system using the techniques for the system of viscous conservation laws.     

Characteristic development of hyperbolic two-dimensional two-fluid model for gas–liquid flows with surface tension

A new hyperbolic, two-dimensional two-fluid model is developed to properly solve two-phase gas–liquid flows. Adopting the interfacial pressure jump terms in the momentum equations, the numerical stability is confirmed owing to the improvement in the mathematical property of the equation system. The derivation of the interfacial pressure jump terms is based on the infinitesimal surface-tension effect incorporated in the pressure difference at the gas–liquid interface. Through the characteristic analysis on the equation system, the eight eigenvalues are obtained analytically and they are proved real values representing phasic convective velocities and phasic sound speeds. Furthermore, the characteristic sound speeds are comparable with the earlier experimental data in excellent agreements. In addition, the eigenvectors are obtained analytically and they are shown to be linearly independent. Consequently, the governing equation system is mathematically hyperbolic with reasonable characteristic speeds by which the upwind numerical method avails. Advantage and possibility of the present model are discussed in some detail.     

Navier–Stokes equations and forward–backward SDEs on the group of diffeomorphisms of a torus

We establish a connection between the strong solution to the spatially periodic Navier–Stokes equations and a solution to a system of forward–backward stochastic differential equations (FBSDEs) on the group of volume-preserving diffeomorphisms of a flat torus. We construct representations of the strong solution to the Navier–Stokes equations in terms of diffusion processes.