6,170 research outputs found
Three-dimensional CFD simulations with large displacement of the geometries using a connectivity-change moving mesh approach
This paper deals with three-dimensional (3D) numerical simulations involving 3D moving geometries with large displacements on unstructured meshes. Such simulations are of great value to industry, but remain very time-consuming. A robust moving mesh algorithm coupling an elasticity-like mesh deformation solution and mesh optimizations was proposed in previous works, which removes the need for global remeshing when performing large displacements. The optimizations, and in particular generalized edge/face swapping, preserve the initial quality of the mesh throughout the simulation. We propose to integrate an Arbitrary Lagrangian Eulerian compressible flow solver into this process to demonstrate its capabilities in a full CFD computation context. This solver relies on a local enforcement of the discrete geometric conservation law to preserve the order of accuracy of the time integration. The displacement of the geometries is either imposed, or driven by fluid–structure interaction (FSI). In the latter case, the six degrees of freedom approach for rigid bodies is considered. Finally, several 3D imposed-motion and FSI examples are given to validate the proposed approach, both in academic and industrial configurations
Optimizing the geometrical accuracy of curvilinear meshes
This paper presents a method to generate valid high order meshes with
optimized geometrical accuracy. The high order meshing procedure starts with a
linear mesh, that is subsequently curved without taking care of the validity of
the high order elements. An optimization procedure is then used to both
untangle invalid elements and optimize the geometrical accuracy of the mesh.
Standard measures of the distance between curves are considered to evaluate the
geometrical accuracy in planar two-dimensional meshes, but they prove
computationally too costly for optimization purposes. A fast estimate of the
geometrical accuracy, based on Taylor expansions of the curves, is introduced.
An unconstrained optimization procedure based on this estimate is shown to
yield significant improvements in the geometrical accuracy of high order
meshes, as measured by the standard Haudorff distance between the geometrical
model and the mesh. Several examples illustrate the beneficial impact of this
method on CFD solutions, with a particular role of the enhanced mesh boundary
smoothness.Comment: Submitted to JC
Spectral/hp element methods: recent developments, applications, and perspectives
The spectral/hp element method combines the geometric flexibility of the
classical h-type finite element technique with the desirable numerical
properties of spectral methods, employing high-degree piecewise polynomial
basis functions on coarse finite element-type meshes. The spatial approximation
is based upon orthogonal polynomials, such as Legendre or Chebychev
polynomials, modified to accommodate C0-continuous expansions. Computationally
and theoretically, by increasing the polynomial order p, high-precision
solutions and fast convergence can be obtained and, in particular, under
certain regularity assumptions an exponential reduction in approximation error
between numerical and exact solutions can be achieved. This method has now been
applied in many simulation studies of both fundamental and practical
engineering flows. This paper briefly describes the formulation of the
spectral/hp element method and provides an overview of its application to
computational fluid dynamics. In particular, it focuses on the use the
spectral/hp element method in transitional flows and ocean engineering.
Finally, some of the major challenges to be overcome in order to use the
spectral/hp element method in more complex science and engineering applications
are discussed
A scalable parallel finite element framework for growing geometries. Application to metal additive manufacturing
This work introduces an innovative parallel, fully-distributed finite element
framework for growing geometries and its application to metal additive
manufacturing. It is well-known that virtual part design and qualification in
additive manufacturing requires highly-accurate multiscale and multiphysics
analyses. Only high performance computing tools are able to handle such
complexity in time frames compatible with time-to-market. However, efficiency,
without loss of accuracy, has rarely held the centre stage in the numerical
community. Here, in contrast, the framework is designed to adequately exploit
the resources of high-end distributed-memory machines. It is grounded on three
building blocks: (1) Hierarchical adaptive mesh refinement with octree-based
meshes; (2) a parallel strategy to model the growth of the geometry; (3)
state-of-the-art parallel iterative linear solvers. Computational experiments
consider the heat transfer analysis at the part scale of the printing process
by powder-bed technologies. After verification against a 3D benchmark, a
strong-scaling analysis assesses performance and identifies major sources of
parallel overhead. A third numerical example examines the efficiency and
robustness of (2) in a curved 3D shape. Unprecedented parallelism and
scalability were achieved in this work. Hence, this framework contributes to
take on higher complexity and/or accuracy, not only of part-scale simulations
of metal or polymer additive manufacturing, but also in welding, sedimentation,
atherosclerosis, or any other physical problem where the physical domain of
interest grows in time
Verification of Unstructured Grid Adaptation Components
Adaptive unstructured grid techniques have made limited impact on production analysis workflows where the control of discretization error is critical to obtaining reliable simulation results. Recent progress has matured a number of independent implementations of flow solvers, error estimation methods, and anisotropic grid adaptation mechanics. Known differences and previously unknown differences in grid adaptation components and their integrated processes are identified here for study. Unstructured grid adaptation tools are verified using analytic functions and the Code Comparison Principle. Three analytic functions with different smoothness properties are adapted to show the impact of smoothness on implementation differences. A scalar advection-diffusion problem with an analytic solution that models a boundary layer is adapted to test individual grid adaptation components. Laminar flow over a delta wing and turbulent flow over an ONERA M6 wing are verified with multiple, independent grid adaptation procedures to show consistent convergence to fine-grid forces and a moment. The scalar problems illustrate known differences in a grid adaptation component implementation and a previously unknown interaction between components. The wing adaptation cases in the current study document a clear improvement to existing grid adaptation procedures. The stage is set for the infusion of verified grid adaptation into production fluid flow simulations
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