Solution of Potential Flow Past an Elastic Body Using the Boundary Element Technique
Abstract
This thesis describes the development of a Fortran computer code which models the interaction between an incompressible, potential flow and a homogeneous, elastic structure. The boundary element technique was chosen because of its ability to numerically approximate both the fluid and structural behavior with a common definition of the fluid/structure boundary. The ability to accurately model solid and fluid boundaries can be quite important in the fields of aeroelasticity and structural analysis. The nature of these boundaries is what determines the final solution to a problem of fluid flow past an elastic body. Often the complexity of defining and tracking the boundary and its associated boundary conditions has led the user to assumptions of rigid bodies, and therefore rigid boundaries. Certainly the tasks of defining the domain grids for finite difference and finite element techniques have not simplified this process. In the computer code developed for this thesis the fluid and structural governing equations are simultaneously solved to determine the pressure about the structure and the corresponding elastic deformations. The deformations are applied to the original boundary, resulting in a new geometry. This new geometry is used to recalculate the pressure field about the structure, and the process is iterated until a final steady-state solution is obtained. While simplifying assumptions have been made in the execution of this thesis, the general boundary element technique has the ability to model complex higher order problems. The initial results obtained during the course of this work show promise, and follow-on studies are recommended.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Dec 01, 1988
- Accession Number
- ADA213843
Entities
People
- Norma F. Taylor
Organizations
- Air Force Institute of Technology