Modeling of Fluid–Structure Interaction Using Lattice Boltzmann and Finite Element Methods

Abstract

The use of lattice Boltzmann methods (LBMs) for fluid flow and its coupling with finite element method (FEM) structural models for fluid–structure interaction (FSI) are investigated. FSI modeling methodology and example applications are presented for single-component flows. Furthermore, multicomponent LBM fluid models are also studied with structural dynamics solvers for 2D FSI simulations. To enhance modeling capability for domains with complex surfaces, a novel coupling method is introduced that allows use of both classical LBM (CLBM) and a finite element LBM (FELBM) to be combined into a hybrid LBM (HLBM) that exploits the flexibility of FELBM while retaining the efficiency of CLBM.