A hybrid Finite Volume-Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics approach for shock capturing applications

Abstract

A hybrid Finite Volume Method (FVM)-Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) approach for shock capturing in compressible fluids is presented. The Python framework Pyro2 is employed to simulate a coarse FVM mesh, while the Python framework PySPH is utilized to model the fluid in regions with high gradients through SPH particles. New FVM-SPH coupling approaches are explored, including online SPH particle injection and deletion around time persistent SPH regions around shocks. The SPH simulation is coupled to the FVM simulation through boundary particles surrounding the active SPH regions, with FVM values interpolated to SPH boundary particles at each timestep. Values in active SPH regions are similarly interpolated to the overlying FVM mesh at each timestep. The performance of the hybrid FVM-SPH scheme in comparison to the individual FVM and SPH methods on two-dimensional test problems is assessed. Our results indicate that the hybrid approach offers higher computational efficiency than SPH while preserving its accuracy, although it remains slower than the FVM. This hybrid SPH algorithm may enable future compressible fluid simulations with more extensive capabilities than grid-based methods alone, offering potential applications in modeling fluid–structure interaction and solid deformation and fracturing in blast simulations. Further research will focus on applying the hybrid method to three-dimensional blast problems, where the relative computational cost reduction is expected to be more significant.