Advanced Modelling of Fluid-Structure Interactions

This fluids engineering project aims to gain a greater understanding of fluid-structure interactions, which underpin many industrial and natural applications. We are now focussing on bluff body and particle flows that are involved in energy harvesting, marine offshore structures, plus the dynamics of natural flyers and swimmers and design implications for micro air vehicles and elite sports.
Person

Principal investigator

Kerry Hourigan kerry.hourigan@monash.edu
Magnifying glass

Area of science

Fluid Dynamics, Geosciences, Physical Sciences
CPU

Systems used

Magnus
Computer

Applications used

OpenFoam, ANSYS CFX and ANSYS Mechanical, In-house Spectral Element Method
Partner Institution: Monash University| Project Code: n67

The Challenge

The specific project aims at a comprehensive understanding of the stability of elastic structures, including submerged and semi-submerged near free surfaces, and those above water exposed to violent winds. Such interactions are currently poorly understood across a range of Reynolds numbers.

The Solution

The project brings together powerful engineering tools of computation, measurement, imaging and control systems. These include experiments on elastically-mounted bodies in a water channel and wind tunnel, rolling bodies in a water tank, and flapping wings in a water tank. Imaging ranges from simple dye tracing to sophisticated particle image velocimetry. High performance computing provides detailed flow fields and forces for submerged bodies in fluid flows. For example, we are trying to understand how the body motion of different type of fish provide such powerful and efficient swimming – this understanding will provide means of optimising underwater microvehicles. Also, the flapping motion and forces of insects provides clues to optimising the design of micro air vehicles.

The Outcome

The prediction of fluid flows in three-dimensions with moving bodies whose motion is controlled by fluid forces, with sometimes turbulent wakes, requires large-scale rapid computing facilities. The computers (such as Magnus) at the Pawsey Centre is facilitating such predictions over a range of problems supported also by the ARC, looking at both fundamental and tactical research.

Our competitive position internationally is heavily reliant on access to the advanced computing facilities available at the Pawsey Supercomputing Centre.

List of Publications

Journal Articles published during and from 2019

Terrington, S.J., Thompson, M.C. & Hourigan, K., The generation and conservation of vorticity: Deforming interfaces and boundaries in two-dimensional flows, Journal of Fluid Mechanics, 890, A5, 2020.

Dehtyriov, D., Hourigan, K. & Thompson, M.C., Direct numerical simulation of a counter-rotating vortex pair interacting with a wall, Journal of Fluid Mechanics, 884, A36, 2020.

Rajamuni, M., Thompson, M.C. & Hourigan, K., Efficient FSI solvers for multiple-degrees-of-freedom flow-induced vibration of a rigid body, Computers and Fluids, 196, 104340, 2020.

Rajamuni, M., Thompson, M.C. & Hourigan, K., Vortex dynamics and vibration modes of a tethered sphere, Journal of Fluid Mechanics, 885, A10, 2020.

Bhat, S., Zhao, J., Sheridan, J., Hourigan, K. & Thompson, M.C., Effects of flapping motion profiles on insect-wing aerodynamics, Journal of Fluid Mechanics, 884, A8, 2020.

Bhat, S., Zhao, J., Sheridan, J., Hourigan, K. & Thompson, Aspect ratio studies on insect wings, Physics of Fluids, 3168, 121301, 2019.

Zhao, J., Sheridan, J., Hourigan, K. & Thompson, M.C., Flow-induced vibration of a cube orientated at different incidence angles, Journal of Fluids and Structures, 91, 102701, 2019.

Rajamuni, M.M., Thompson, M.C. & Hourigan, K., Vortex-Induced Vibration of elastically-mounted spheres: a comparison of the response of three-degrees-of-freedom and one-degree-of-freedom systems, Journal of Fluids and Structures, 89, 142-155, 2019.

Bhat, S., Zhao, J., Sheridan, J., Hourigan, K. & Thompson, M.C., Uncoupling the effects of aspect ratio, Reynolds number and Rossby number on a rotating insect-wing planform, Journal of Fluid Mechanics, 859, 921-948, 2019.

Bhat, S., Zhao, J., Sheridan, J., Hourigan, K. & Thompson, M.C., Evolutionary shape optimisation enhances the lift coefficient of rotating wing geometries, Journal of Fluid Mechanics, 868, 369-384, 2019.

Sareen, A., Zhao, J., Sheridan, J., Hourigan, K. & Thompson, M.C., Large amplitude cross-stream sphere vibration generated by applied rotational oscillation, Journal of Fluids and Structures, 89, 156-165, 2019.

Zhao, J., Hourigan, K. & Thompson, M.C., Dynamic response of elliptical cylinders undergoing transverse flow-induced vibration, Journal of Fluids and Structures, 89, 123-131, 2019.

Zhao, J., Hourigan, K. & Thompson, M.C., An experimental investigation of flow-induced vibration of high-side-ratio rectangular cylinders, Journal of Fluids and Structures, 201991, 102580, 2019.

Conference Papers

Gupta, S., Zhao, J., Thompson, M.C., Sharma, A., Agrawal, A., Hourigan, K., Fluid forces and flow transitions for a NACA0012 hydrofoil at low Reynolds numbers, Bulletin of the American Physical Society, 72nd Annual Meeting of the APS Division of Fluid Dynamics, November 23-26, 2019.

Bhat, S.S., Zhao, J., Sheridan, J., Hourigan, K. & Thompson, M.C., Reconciling the aspect ratio studies on insect wings, ECCOMAS MSF 2019 Thematic Conference, Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina, 18-20 September, 2019

Figure 1. Large Ring Mode JFM 884 A36 2020_fig22.png: Caption: The large ring mode that results from the interaction of two counter rotating vortices, such as those in the wake of aircraft, near the ground.