A reduced domain strategy for local mesh movement application in unstructured grids

Abstract

Automatic control of mesh movement is mandatory in many fluid flow and fluid–solid interaction problems. This paper presents a new strategy, called reduced domain strategy (RDS), which enhances the efficiency of node connectivity-based mesh movement methods and moves the unstructured grid locally and effectively. The strategy dramatically reduces the grid computations by dividing the unstructured grid into two active and inactive zones. After any local boundary movement, the grid movement is performed only within the active zone. To enhance the efficiency of our strategy, we also develop an automatic mesh partitioning scheme. This scheme benefits from a new quasi-structured mesh data ordering, which determines the boundary of active zone in the original unstructured grid very easily. Indeed, the new partitioning scheme eliminates the need for sequential reordering of the original unstructured grid data in different mesh movement applications. We choose the spring analogy method and apply our new strategy to perform local mesh movements in two boundary movement problems including a multi-element airfoil with moving slat or deforming main body section. We show that the RDS is robust and cost effective. It can be readily employed in different node connectivity-based mesh movement methods. Indeed, the RDS provides a flexible local grid deformation tool for moving grid applications.