A Numerical Analysis of a Fluid-Structure Interaction Problem with a Flow Channel Embedded in a Structural Material

Abstract

In the present work, numerical simulations are performed on a model problem representing a class of fluid-structure interaction problems. The model problem consists of a thin plate with a flow channel embedded in it. The governing equations for the flow in the channel and the displacement in the plate structure are discretized using a finite volume procedure on unstructured meshes, and are solved in a one-way coupled manner with the flow in the channel influencing the stress field in the structure. The problem is presented in a generalized manner, in terms of the relevant dimensionless parameters obtained as part of the analysis. A parametric study is performed for the cases of isothermal and with heating of the fluid. The data from the parametric simulations are used to explain the stress field behavior in the solid plate, in response to the independent dimensionless parameters. The overall methodology is presented in a manner that will be useful in analyzing any specific case of the class of fluid-structure interaction represented by the model problem.