Finite element analysis of filling stage in die‐casting process using marker surface method and adaptive grid refinement technique

The marker surface method and the adaptive grid refinement technique have been applied to the three‐dimensional (3‐D) finite element analysis of the filling stage in the die‐casting process. Especially, the marker surface plugging technique and the marker surface regeneration technique incorporated in the marker surface method have been proposed for the efficient analysis of 3‐D practical problems. Through the marker surface plugging technique, new parts of marker surface are effective lycreated in order to eliminate the gaps between the parts of marker surface or between the edge of marker surface and cavity wall. By using the marker surface regeneration technique, the marker surface including a great number of marker elements is recreated on the basis of its original shape in order to decrease the number of marker elements and computational time. A3‐D example used as the benchmark test and a typical industrial problem of the die‐casting process have been analysed. The numerical results have been in good agreement with the experimental results and the efficiency of the adaptive grid refinement technique has been verified. It has been shown that the proposed techniques incorporated in the marker surface method and the adaptive grid refinement technique can be effectively applied to general industrial problems. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Patched grid and adaptive mesh refinement strategies for the calculation of the transport of vortices

This paper presents two techniques allowing local grid refinement to calculate the transport of vortices. one is the patched grid (PG) method which allows non‐coincident interfaces between blocks. Treatment of the non‐coincident interfaces is given in detail. The second one is the adaptive mesh refinement (AMR) method which has been developed in order to create embedded sub‐grids. The efficiency of these two methods is demonstrated by some validating tests. Then the PG and AMR strategies are applied in the computation of the transport of vortices. We start with a simple vortex flow in a cubic box. Then, the flowfield around a complex aircraft configuration is calculated using the two refinement techniques. Results are compared with a fine, referenced grid calculation. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Finite element analysis of transient fluid flow with free surface using VOF (volume-of-fluid) method and adaptive grid

The VOF method is adopted for the finite element analysis of transient fluid flow with a free surface. In particular, an adaptation technique for generating an adaptive grid is incorporated to capture a higher resolution of the free surface configuration. An adaptive grid is created through the refinement and mergence of elements. In this domain the elements in the surface region are made finer than those in the remaining regions for more efficient computation. Also, three techniques based on the VOF method are newly developed to increase the accuracy of the analysis, namely the filling pattern, advection treatment and free surface smoothing techniques. Using the proposed numerical techniques, radial flow with a point source and the collapse of a dam are analysed. The numerical results agree well with the theoretical solutions as well as with the experimental results. Through comparisons with the numerical results of several cases using different grids, the efficiency of the proposed technique is verified. © 1998 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Adaptive mesh refinement for simulating fluid-structure interaction using a sharp interface immersed boundary method

In this article, adaptive mesh refinement (AMR) is performed to simulate flow around both stationary and moving boundaries. The finite-difference approach is applied along with a sharp interface immersed boundary (IB) method. The Lagrangian polynomial is employed to facilitate the interpolation from a coarse to a fine grid level, while a weighted-average formula is used to transfer variables inversely. To save memory, the finest grid is only generated in the local areas close to the wall boundary, and the mesh is dynamically reconstructed based on the location of the wall boundary. The Navier-Stokes equations are numerically solved through the second-order central difference scheme in space and the third-order Runge-Kutta time integration. Flow around a circular cylinder rotating in a square domain is firstly simulated to examine the accuracy and convergence rate. Then three cases are investigated to test the validity of the present method: flow past a stationary circular cylinder at low Reynolds numbers, flow past a forced oscillating circular cylinder in the transverse direction at various frequencies, and a free circular cylinder subjected to vortex-induced vibration in two degrees of freedom. Computational results agree well with these in the literature and the flow fields are smooth around the interface of different refinement levels. The effect of refinement level has also been evaluated. In addition, a study for the computational efficiency shows that the AMR approach is helpful to reduce the total node number and speed up the time integration, which could prompt the application of the IB method when a great near-wall spatial resolution is required.     

Simulation of primary atomization with an octree adaptive mesh refinement and VOF method

We present different simulations of primary atomization using an adaptive Volume-of-Fluid method based on octree meshes. The use of accurate numerical schemes for mesh adaptation, Volume-of-Fluid advection and balanced force surface tension calculation implemented in Gerris, the code used to perform the simulations included in this work, has made possible to carry out accurate simulations with characteristic scales spreading over several orders of magnitude. The code is validated by comparisons with the temporal linear theory for moderate density and viscosity ratios, which basically corresponds to atomization processes in high pressure chambers. In order to show the potential of the code in different scenarios related to atomization, preliminary results are shown in relation with the study of the two-dimensional and 3D temporal and spatial problem, the influence of the injector and the vortex generated inside the chamber, and the effect of swirling at high Reynolds numbers.     

Finite‐volume‐type VOF method on dynamically adaptive quadtree grids

This paper describes a finite‐volume volume‐of‐fluid (VOF) method for simulating viscous free surface flows on dynamically adaptive quadtree grids. The scheme is computationally efficient in that it provides relatively fine grid resolution at the gas–liquid interface and coarse grid density in regions where flow variable gradients are small. Special interpolations are used to ensure volume flux conservation where differently sized neighbour cells occur. The numerical model is validated for advection of dyed fluid in unidirectional and rotating flows, and for two‐dimensional viscous sloshing in a rectangular tank. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

CAD-consistent adaptive refinement using a NURBS-based discontinuous Galerkin method

This study concerns the development of a new method combining high-order computer-aided design (CAD)-consistent grids and adaptive refinement/coarsening strategies for efficient analysis of compressible flows. The proposed approach allows to use geometrical data from CAD without any approximation. Thus, the simulations are based on the exact geometry, even for the coarsest discretizations. Combining this property with a local refinement method allows to start computations using very coarse grids and then relies on dynamic adaption to construct suitable computational domains. The resulting approach facilitates interactions between CAD and computational fluid dynamics solvers and focuses the computational effort on the capture of physical phenomena, since geometry is exactly taken into account. The proposed methodology is based on a discontinuous Galerkin method for compressible Navier-Stokes equations, modified to use nonuniform rational B-Spline representations. Local refinement and coarsening are introduced using intrinsic properties of nonuniform rational B-Spline associated with a local error indicator. A verification of the accuracy of the method is achieved and a set of applications are presented, ranging from viscous subsonic to inviscid trans- and supersonic flow problems.     

A local grid refinement method for three‐dimensional turbulent recirculating flows

A local grid refinement method is presented and applied to a three‐dimensional turbulent recirculating flow. It is based on the staggered grid arrangement. The computational domain is covered by block‐structured subgrids of different refinement levels. The exchange of information between the subgrids is fully conservative and all grids are treated implicitly. This allows for a simultaneous solution of one variable in all grids. All variables are stored in one‐dimensional arrays. The solver selected for the solution of the discretised finite difference equations is the preconditioned bi‐conjugate gradient (Bi‐CG) method. For the case examined (turbulent flow around a surface‐mounted cube), it was found that the latter method converges faster than the line solver. The locally refined mesh improved the accuracy of the pressure distribution on cube faces compared with a coarse mesh and yielded the same results as a fine single mesh, with a 62% gain in computer time. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

基于建筑风场数值模拟的网格层块加密法

在建筑风场的数值模拟中,当前普遍采用的离散网格多是计算前一次性布置的固定网格,通常很难适应实际流场变量的变化要求.为提高数值模拟的精度,基于结构化同位网格系统及控制容积离散微分方程的方法,将适应性网格局部加密(AMR)的思想引入到采用压力校正迭代算法的建筑风场模拟中,提出了一种半自适应的层块网格加密方法.该方法可结合误差分析对误差较大的区域网格实行自动判别并实施逐层块状加密.算例分析表明,该方法能在较高的效益下提高数值解的精度.     

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.     

Modelling of high-pressure dense diesel sprays with adaptive local grid refinement

An Eulerian–Lagrangian fluid dynamics model simulating the development of dense liquid plumes formed during injection of fuels against compressed air is described and assessed against experimental data. The numerical model employs an adaptive local grid refinement methodology combined with a calculation procedure distributing the mass, momentum and energy exchanged between the liquid and gaseous phases in the numerical cells found in the vicinity of the moving droplets. The use of appropriate weighting functions resolves numerical as well as physical problems realised when the interaction volume available between the two phases is limited to the cell-containing parcel, whose volume may become comparable to that of the dispersed phase. Calculation of ‘virtual’ cell properties provide better estimates for the flow variables realised by the droplets crossing cells in the wake of those upstream and allows for larger time steps to be employed in the solution of the carrier phase conservation equations. The results suggest that the proposed methodology offers significant improvements compared to the standard Lagrangian one frequently adopted in simulation of combustion systems, without the need to use Eulerian flow models in dense spray regions.     

一种新的求解对流占优问题的自适应网格细化方法

在均匀网格上求解对流占优问题时,往往会产生数值震荡现象,因此需要局部加密网格来提高解的精度。针对对流占优问题,设计了一种新的自适应网格细化算法。该方法采用流线迎风SUPG(Petrov-Galerkin)格式求解对流占优问题,定义了网格尺寸并通过后验误差估计子修正来指导自适应网格细化,以泡泡型局部网格生成算法BLMG为网格生成器,通过模拟泡泡在区域中的运动得到了高质量的点集。与其他自适应网格细化方法相比,该方法可在同一框架内实现网格的细化和粗化,同时在所有细化层得到了高质量的网格。数值算例结果表明,该方法在求解对流占优问题时具有更高的数值精度和更好的收敛性。     

Three‐dimensional finite element analysis of transient fluid flow with free‐surface using marker surface method and adaptive grid refinement

For three‐dimensional finite element analysis of transient fluid flow with free‐surface, a new marker surface method is proposed, in which the fluid flow is represented by the marker surface composed of marker elements instead of marker particles used in the marker particle method. This also involves an adaptive grid that is created under a new criterion of element categorization of filling states and the locations in the total region at each time step. The marker surface is used in order to represent the free‐surface accurately, as well as to decrease the memory and computation time, and to effectively display the predicted three‐dimensional free‐surface. By using the adaptive grid in which the elements, finer than those in internal and external regions, are distributed in the surface region through refinement and coarsening procedures, the analysis of three‐dimensional transient fluid flow with free‐surface is achieved more efficiently. Through three‐dimensional analysis of two kinds of problems using several grids, the efficiency of the proposed marker surface method and the adaptive grid are verified. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

采用自适应直角网格计算三维增升装置绕流

针对三维增升装置绕流，对存在剪刀叉的不连续外形，基于自适应直角网格，提出并介绍了分区和面搭接技术，采用变长宽比网格，进行了直角网格生成和流场Euler方程数值计算. 根据几何外形的特点，在直角网格生成过程中，以外形不连续面作为分区边界，对初始``根'网格实施分区处理，降低了整个网格的生成难度. 通过基于外形的自适应网格加密，详细描述了剪刀叉外形和缝道，提高了网格质量. 在分区边界面上，基于面搭接技术，构造重叠面积切割算法，实现边界两侧网格间的流场信息传递，保证流场计算中的通量守恒. 采用中心有限体积方法，结合双时间推进算法，完成了两段机翼、带增升襟翼翼身组合体绕流流场的Euler方程数值模拟，对计算结果与实验数据进行了对比，验证了所提方法、算法的合理性和实用性.     

An adaptive Cartesian grid generation method for ‘Dirty’ geometry

Traditional structured and unstructured grid generation methods need a ‘water‐tight’ boundary surface grid to start. Therefore, these methods are named boundary to interior (B2I) approaches. Although these methods have achieved great success in fluid flow simulations, the grid generation process can still be very time consuming if ‘non‐water‐tight’ geometries are given. Significant user time can be taken to repair or clean a ‘dirty’ geometry with cracks, overlaps or invalid manifolds before grid generation can take place. In this paper, we advocate a different approach in grid generation, namely the interior to boundary (I2B) approach. With an I2B approach, the computational grid is first generated inside the computational domain. Then this grid is intelligently ‘connected’ to the boundary, and the boundary grid is a result of this ‘connection’. A significant advantage of the I2B approach is that ‘dirty’ geometries can be handled without cleaning or repairing, dramatically reducing grid generation time. An I2B adaptive Cartesian grid generation method is developed in this paper to handle ‘dirty’ geometries without geometry repair. Comparing with a B2I approach, the grid generation time with the I2B approach for a complex automotive engine can be reduced by three orders of magnitude. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

基于贴体网格的VOF方法数模流场研究

提出了一种基于VOF方法的模拟具有复杂边界形状结构物附近流场的新算法,BFC—SIMPLE—VOF算法。采用坐标变换方法实现了任意复杂区域的结构化网格划分,在贴体网格下对二维不可压缩粘性流体的控制方程进行了离散。提出了基于交错网格的修正SIMPLE算法来迭代求解压力一速度场,修正了贴体坐标下的界面跟踪方法（VOF方法）...     

Development of a local MQ‐DQ‐based stencil adaptive method and its application to solve incompressible Navier–Stokes equations

In this paper, a local stencil adaptive method is presented, which is designed for solving computational fluid dynamics (CFD) problems with curved boundaries accurately. A local multiquadric‐differential quadrature (MQ‐DQ) method is used to discretize the governing equations, taking advantage of its meshless nature. The present method bears the properties of both local MQ‐DQ method and local stencil adaptive method and is thus named the local MQ‐DQ‐based stencil adaptive method. Two test problems with curved boundaries are solved to investigate the performance of this solution‐adaptive method. The numerical results indicate that the proposed method is effective and efficient by combining the advantages of meshless property for complex geometries and local adaptation for accuracy improvement. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Simulating gas–liquid multiphase flow using meshless Lagrangian method

A multiphase flow model has been established based on a moving particle semi‐implicit method. A surface tension model is introduced to the particle method to improve the numerical accuracy and stability. Several computational techniques are employed to simplify the numerical procedure and further improve the accuracy. A particle fraction multiphase flow model is developed and verified by a two‐phase Poiseuille flow. The multiphase surface tension model is discussed in detail, and an ethanol drop case is introduced to verify the surface tension model. A simple dam break is simulated to demonstrate the improvements with various modifications in particle method along with a new boundary condition. Finally, we simulate several bubble rising cases to show the capacity of this new model in simulating gas–liquid multiphase flow with large density ratio difference between phases. The comparisons among numerical results of mesh‐based model, experimental data, and the present model, indicate that the new multiphase particle method is acceptable in gas–liquid multiphase fluids simulation. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Study on flow past two spheres in tandem arrangement using a local mesh refinement virtual boundary method

A local mesh refinement virtual boundary method based on a uniform grid is designed to study the transition between the flow patterns of two spheres in tandem arrangement for Re=250. For a small gap (L/D=1.5), the flow field is axisymmetric. As the spacing ratio increases to 2.0, the pressure gradient induces the circumferential fluid motion and a plane‐symmetric flow is constructed through a regular bifurcation. For L/D?2.5, the vortices are periodically shed from the right sphere, but the planar symmetry remains. The case for L/D=3.0 is picked up to give a detail investigation for the unsteady flow. The shedding frequency of vortical structure from the upper side of the right sphere is found to be double of the frequency of the lower side. With the flow spectra of various gaps given, the underlying competitive mechanism between the two shedding frequencies is studied and a critical spacing gap is revealed. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.