Parallel adaptive simplical re-meshing for deforming domain CFD computations

Abstract

Deforming domains occur in many fields of computational fluid dynamics (CFD), such as interface tracking, simulation of pumps and engines, and fluid/structure interaction. The deformation of the domain presents a challenge to the integrity of the computational mesh; substantial motion of the domain boundaries requires vertex motion and changes in mesh connectivity. For cases of simple boundary motion or structured meshes, predetermined changes to the mesh structure can be sufficient. However, without a priori knowledge of how the domain will change, a more robust solution is required. The present work offers a parallelized solution for simplical meshes that is well-suited to extremely complex geometry. The mesh continuously evolves without user intervention or the use of target meshes. Varying length scales imposed by evolving boundary curvatures and narrow gaps are resolved with a fast length-scale algorithm. The set of algorithms are incorporated into an object-oriented code structure that permits broad application to a range of CFD problems. The robustness and versatility of the algorithm is demonstrated in several examples, representing motion of internal and external boundaries, where the boundary motion may or may not be known a priori.