Numerical simulation of 2-D fluid-structure interaction with a tightly coupled solver and establishment of the mooring model

Abstract

In this study, a newly enhanced Fluid-Structure Interaction (FSI) model which incorporates mooring lines was used to simulate a floating structure. The model has two parts: a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) model and a mooring model. The open-source CFD OpenFOAM® v1712 toolbox was used in the present study, and the convergence criteria and relaxation method were added to the computational procedure used for the OpenFOAM multiphase flow solver, interDyMFoam. A newly enhanced, tightly coupled solver, CoupledinterDyMFoam, was used to decrease the artificial added mass effect, and the results were validated through a series of benchmark cases. The mooring model, based on the finite element method, was established in MATLAB® and was validated against a benchmark analytical elastic catenary solution and numerical results. Finally, a model which simulates a floating structure with mooring lines was successfully constructed by connecting the mooring model to CoupledinterDyMFoam.