Fluid Structure Interaction Breakthrough
Sculptor is now able to seamlessly link together CFD and structural analysis tools to solve fluid structure interaction (FSI) issues.
Typically, the fluid flow produces pressures and/or temperatures which deform the surrounding structure. In turn, these structural deformations change the fluid flow field. The ability for software to recreate the interaction of a flexible structure immersed in a flowing fluid field is a critical component of the design stage for many fields of engineering. FSI is vital in determining the stability and response of an aircraft wing, the response of a high-pressure sensor introduced into a pipe flow, or a down force generating wing on a racecar.
The importance of this design tool is often overshadowed by the difficulty to generate the numerical models for an FSI problem and the time required to establish a quality mesh. Modeling is further complicated by the dissimilar mesh requirements for the structural and fluid domains.
The solution for solving these types of problems was the result of a united effort between Optimal Solutions Software, LLC, and Engineous Software, Inc. in a joint Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) project for Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, entitled “Improved Modeling Tools for High Speed Reacting Flows”. The breakthrough of the project was the ability to integrate a CFD code with a structural finite element analysis (FEA) code utilizing Sculptor as the interface and deformation/optimization tool.
Recently, Optimal Solutions arrived at an FSI solution at the optimization the rear wing of its F1 race car in order to solve high-seed racing flow issues. The FSI was resolved within an impressive three iterations of the below loop.
