Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics Method Research Articles

Modelling of flow characteristics in the access channel of Bali tourism port using DualSPHysics

The access channel is a structure formed as a basin on the seabed. Based on previous studies, excessive sediment accumulation in shipping lanes or access channels carried by ocean floor currents is one of the factors that cause damage to the hull under the ship. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the characteristics of seabed currents that cross the access channel. This research was carried out by modelling the numerical test of the access channel model using the Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) method with DualSPHysics software. The results of this study show the movement and characteristics of seabed currents that occur in the access channel at the Bali Sanur Harbor. This study obtained the average speed of seabed currents, with variations in the speed of ocean currents and forecasts regarding sediment dredging maintenance on cruise lines.

Coupled finite-volume method and smoothed-particle hydrodynamics method for numerical simulation of interactions between inviscid shock waves and structures

In this work, a novel coupled finite-volume method (FVM) and a smoothed-particle-hydrodynamics (SPH) method were developed for the simulation of interactions between inviscid shock waves and structures. In this approach, which considers the particles of a meshless method immersed in an FVM grid, the FVM grid cells are classified into either pure or mixed FVM cells, the latter of which contain SPH particles. A finite-element-method shape function is applied to map the variables from the SPH particles to the FVM cells, and the nodal and cell velocities are then obtained. The interaction of the fluid with the structure is computed using moving reflection boundary conditions at cell interfaces with SPH particles. The interactions of the structure with the fluid are computed from the pressure differences around the SPH particles. The processes for computing the coupled FVM–SPH method are described in detail herein. The validity of the presented coupled FVM–SPH method was verified using a theoretical model of a piston, and the numerical results were found to agree well with the theoretical approximations, indicating the accuracy of the proposed coupled method. The results of the method were then compared with the results of an experiment involving a blast-driven steel plate. Good agreement between the experimental and numerical results was obtained, and the maximum difference was 3.44%, demonstrating the effectiveness of the proposed coupled FVM–SPH method when applied to the interaction of a shock wave with a structure.

Numerical simulation and experimental study of fluid–structure interactions in elastic structures based on the SPH method

The study of fluid–structure interactions in elastic structures is highly important in hydraulic structural engineering. This paper adopts the smooth particle hydrodynamics (SPH) coupling method to simulate dam failure water impact elastic plate flow and solid coupling problems. In addition, a numerical simulation is performed on the study of the free surface flow impact of the elastic plate structure on the main dynamic characteristics, including the impact force distribution and the change process. Additionally, the elastic structure of the vibration amplitude and frequency change rule, as well as the drastic changes in free surface flow, are also carried out. In this paper, the synchronous finite element algorithm is used to analyze the problem to obtain FEM results Additionally, two-dimensional benchmark physical tests are designed for dam-break water flow impacting an elastic plate are conducted, focusing on a comparative analysis of the numerical results of the SPH method with the results of physical tests and verifying the validity, accuracy, and superiority of the SPH coupling method for solving the problem of fluid‒solid coupling in elastic structures. On this basis, to explore the relevant physical quantities that cannot be measured or described during the test process, the flow–solid coupling characteristics of the elastic plate impacted by water flow are further understood by analyzing the nature of the flow field, the change in the flow–solid force of the elastic plate and the change rule of the frequency spectrum. The results show the following: (i) The jumps in velocity between the streams and the strong curvature of the free liquid surface lead to the creation of vortices at the cavities. (ii) The flow solid force under the impact of water flow increases and then decreases, and the smaller the deformation of the elastic structure is, the greater the force is. (iii) The vibration frequency of the fixed end of the elastic structure gradually decreases along the free end frequency, and the larger the deformation of the free end of the elastic plate is, the weaker its vibration response is. In addition, the natural frequency of the elastic plate under water flow impact is slightly lower than that under free vibration of the elastic plate. The related research results provide reference and guidance for the fluid–structure interaction problem.

Dynamic simulation and failure analysis of intermittently jointed rock cells and slopes based on a novel spring-based smoothed particle hydrodynamics method

Dynamic simulation and failure analysis of intermittently jointed rock cells and slopes based on a novel spring-based smoothed particle hydrodynamics method

Numerical simulation of wedges slamming non-Newtonian fluids based on SPH method

Current research on non-Newtonian fluids using Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) has primarily focused on dynamic behavior, with limited exploration into interactions between rigid bodies and non-Newtonian fluids. Leveraging the SPH method's effectiveness in addressing free surface flow challenges, a two-dimensional numerical model of a rigid body impacting non-Newtonian fluids based on the Herschel-Bulkley-Papanastasiou (HBP) constitutive model is developed within the SPH framework. The study integrates experimental and numerical findings from non-Newtonian dam break scenarios, comparing particle distribution and the evolution of the waterfront over time to ensure accurate representation of non-Newtonian fluid behavior. While ensuring the convergence of SPH results, the research simulates the impact of a wedge on the surface of non-Newtonian fluids. This comparison of the slamming load exerted by non-Newtonian fluids on the wedge serves to validate the accuracy of the numerical method. Furthermore, the study explores the effects of varying initial velocities and roll angles of wedges slamming into specific non-Newtonian fluids. It analyzes fluid jet phenomena and changes in slamming loads.

Effects of fissure length and angle on the fracture modes of 3D printed teeth model: Insights from DIC-based fracture tests and meshless numerical simulations

To investigate the influences of teeth fissure properties on their failure modes, 3D Printing technology is used to prepare the teeth models. The strain distributions of the teeth model surfaces at each moment of the loading processes are obtained by the DIC technique. And the progressive failure processes as well as the stress distributions of the teeth models are simulated by the improved Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) Method. Experimental results show that under the action of the steel ball, the teeth models mainly produce two types of cracks: The tensile cracks along the pre-existing fissures and the shear cracks along both sides of the teeth model. The existence of prefabricated fissures greatly reduces the peak strength of the teeth models. Compared with the circumstances containing no pre-existing fissures, the peak strength of d = 1 cm, d = 2 cm and d = 3 cm decreases by 22.33%, 31.79% and 18.94%, respectively, and the peak strength of θ = 30°, θ = 45°, θ = 60° decreases by 10.78%, 44.01% and 34.3%, respectively. Numerical results show that the initiations of tensile cracks are induced by the high tensile stress concentrations at the pre-existing fissure tips, while the shear cracks are caused by the high tensile stress concentrations in the low tensile stress concentration areas after the initiation of tensile cracks. The research results can provide some references for the understandings of teeth failure mechanisms as well as the applications of SPH method into teeth crack propagation simulations.

Rainfall simulation analysis of front windshield lower trim panel system based on SPH method

Based on the smooth particle hydrodynamics method, a rain simulation model of the front windshield lower trim panel system was established in AVL PreonLab simulation software, and it was found that the risk of air conditioning inlet and wiper motor is low risk under the original scheme, but the risk of water in the cabin is greater. Considering the weakening of the sealing effect after the durability of the sealing cotton, the water may flow into the cabin; secondly, the water barrier bars on both sides of the wiper cover are not wide enough in the Y direction, and the water will flow into the cabin when the rain is heavy. Through the simulation analysis of the optimization scheme, the problem of water in the cabin can be solved, and the problem can be found in advance at the design stage, and the optimization scheme can be proposed to reduce the development cost of the whole vehicle, which is an important guidance for the development of water management of the whole vehicle.

A depth-averaged SPH-FV landslide dynamic model for evaluating hazard zones

Thousands of landslides worldwide lead to significant casualties and property damage. A numerical model is crucial for simulating the runout of possible future landslides and generating reliable hazard zone maps. Two main methods can be adopted to simulate motion: one based on the Eulerian description and the other based on the Lagrangian description. Each description offers varying adaptability to simulating landslides. In this paper, we proposed a method of coupling the depth-averaged smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) method and a finite volume scheme with the van Leer splitting (FV-VLS). For the solid phase, we utilized the depth-averaged SPH method to simulate the movement process. The SPH method can track the movement of key parts. In contrast, we employed the FV-VLS based on the Eulerian description to reduce the calculation amount. In 1-D dam break simulation, both the depth-averaged SPH and FV-VLS methods yielded similar results. The 1-D two-phase dam break simulation shows that buoyancy reduces friction and lateral solid stress, increases hydraulic stress, and generates a complex motion process. The Yigong landslide simulation indicates that solid fractions will affect the motion trajectory in the 2-D simulation. A smaller solid fraction will cause the landslide to affect a larger area.

Comparative study of WCSPH, EISPH and explicit incompressible-compressible SPH (EICSPH) for multi-phase flow with high density difference

This study presents three Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) methods capable of handling high-density differences in violent incompressible multiphase flows. The conventional Weakly Compressible SPH (WCSPH) is reformulated into a quasi-Lagrangian framework based on Arbitrary Lagrangian–Eulerian (ALE) context. The Explicit Incompressible SPH (EISPH) method is extended to handle multiphase flows and reformulated in the ALE framework. The Explicit Incompressible-Compressible SPH (EICSPH) method, which can handle both compressible and incompressible phases, is developed by combining these two approaches in a fully explicit algorithm. The proposed methods are validated and compared through four benchmark problems including Rayleigh-Taylor instability, hydrostatic, liquid sloshing and dam break problems. Firstly, the stability and accuracy of interface modeling of the three methods were verified through Rayleigh-Taylor instability with small density differences. In the hydrostatic problem with a large density difference, the results from all three methods exhibit good agreement in the pressure distribution. Particularly, EICSPH demonstrates the faster convergence when compared to WCSPH, with EISPH showing fastest convergence overall. In the transient sloshing problem, all three methods quantitatively converged to the experimental results and exhibited good agreement, although slight pressure noise was observed in WCSPH initially. Finally, in the dam break problem, all three methods successfully simulated sharp interfaces without non-physical voids. The temporal variations of pressure and height were well predicted by all three methods, with EISPH showing better conformity to the water-air interface morphology obtained from other incompressible numerical methods compared to WCSPH and EICSPH. Additionally, the impact of air speed of sound was examined in EICSPH, where while the difference in pressure variation at the probe was minimal, differences were observed in energy dissipation and the progression of the free surface due to the air cushion effect.

Analysis of Thermomechanical Stress of High-Temperature Ignition Surface Caused by Drop–Wall Interaction at Engine Conditions

Abstract Drop–wall interaction is a complex phenomenon encountered in diverse industrial applications. An important example is fuel droplets impinging on a high-temperature ignition plug in a direct-injection compression-ignition engine. The ignition plug, comprised of heat-resistant materials, will experience thermal shock due to abrupt temperature changes. The ensuing temperature fluctuation in the solid wall induces thermal stress, and if this stress surpasses the material's strength in that mode, failure can occur. Therefore, it is imperative to analyze the temperature dynamics on the high-temperature surface to enhance material durability. This study focuses on drop–wall interactions in the engine environment. Utilizing the Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) method, this research simulates fuel droplet impingement on an ignition plug with various materials to characterize heat transfer, thermal penetration, and temperature distributions in the heated wall. The investigation also delves into the behavior of ceramic material, specifically silicon nitride, assessing its thermomechanical stress and durability based on the stress–number of cycles (S-N) curve. Thermal stress is computed by considering temperature gradients and material properties, while mechanical stress is evaluated based on the bending momentum and momentum flux induced by the spray. A parametric study explores diverse materials such as tungsten carbide, iron, stainless steel, carbon steel, and aluminum. Results indicate that thermal stress outweighs bending and spray-induced stress. Moreover, the analysis reveals that silicon nitride exhibits the lowest thermal stress distribution and superior durability, potentially capable of operating for infinite cycles under engine-relevant conditions.

Investigation of aluminium Whipple Shield response to hypervelocity impacts close to ballistic limit between 2.5 and 5 km/s

For impact velocities larger than a threshold velocity of 3 km/s, aluminium Whipple Shields present an enhanced protection capability with respect to monolithic protections with the same areal density. In particular, in the range between 3 and 7 km/s the projectile partially fragments and melts after impacting the bumper; modelling this transition might be complex due to the high number of parameters affecting the collision. In particular, limited data is available in literature with a systematic evaluation of such parameters.In this context, a campaign of 22 experiments was performed to assess the response of aluminium Whipple Shields to normal impacts of aluminium projectiles in the transition range up to 5 km/s. In the tests, the projectile diameter was fixed at 2.9 mm and the bumper thickness and impact velocity were systematically varied respectively at 1, 1.5, and 2 mm and between 2.6 and 5 km/s. Collected data included high-velocity videos of the debris cloud generated by the impacts at both low resolution (for all shots) and high resolution (for 19 out of 22 tests); in addition, for 10 experiments high-resolution images of both the bumper and the wall were acquired after the tests.In this paper, the experimental campaign is described and the main collected results are presented; in particular, the influence of the different impact parameters is discussed. Experimental results are finally compared with numerical simulations conducted with a smoothed particle hydrodynamics method available in IMPETUS Solver.

Influence mechanism of the diameter of the energy accumulation hole on the bi-directional cumulative tension blasting

This study focuses on evaluating the influence of the energy accumulation hole diameter on bi-directional cumulative tension blasting. Firstly, the penetration depth of bi-directional cumulative tension blasting is determined, followed by an analysis of the corresponding fracture mechanics behavior. Secondly, the Smooth Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) method is used for numerical analysis of the bi-directional cumulative tension blasting process, and the Johnson-Holmquist constitutive model is then employed to examine the dynamic process during tensile blasting-induced cracking. This analysis provides insights into damage development, particle distribution, stress distribution, and crack propagation in the rock at different opening diameters. The findings reveal that, except for the 2 mm case, bi-directional cumulative tension blasting effectively produces directional cracks aligned with the energy accumulation direction. For hole diameters between 4–8 mm, linear through cracks form in the energy accumulation direction. However, a 2 mm diameter opening only generates short shear cracks around the blast hole. With energy accumulation hole diameters ranging from 10–14 mm, the crack propagation depth is insufficient for complete penetration, despite the presence of linear cracks in the energy accumulation direction. When diameter exceeds 14 mm, symmetrical airfoil cracks appear in non-concentrated energy directions, with larger diameters resulting in shorter crack propagation lengths. During the directional cracking process for hole diameters of 4–8 mm, explosive particles facilitate crack expansion in width and length through the action of a “gas wedge.” On-site blasting tests confirm the excellent directional pre-splitting effect of bi-directional cumulative tension blasting.

Study on water entry into shallow-water current using smoothed particle hydrodynamics method

Water entry is a typical problem in shipbuilding and ocean engineering. When the ship entering shallow-water current, the combined effects of current and water bottom will complicate the fluid field and further affect the hydrodynamic responses of the ship. In this paper, a two-dimensional bow section entering shallow-water current is studied by smoothed particle hydrodynamics method and the accuracy of the method is first validated. Then, the flows around the hull in shallow and deep water are compared. It is found that the shallow water will produce a more significant effect of flow around the hull, resulting in an increasing in the diffusion velocity of the vortex structure and the related flow-induced forces. The asymmetry of free surface is more obvious in shallow water. Furthermore, the water entries into current and into still water under different water depths are simulated, respectively. When entering shallow-water current, several asymmetrical stagnation-point regions will be induced, which intensify the variation and asymmetric distribution of velocity in the fluid around the hull. Due to the bottom effect in shallow water, the pressure on the hull's lower part increases and two obvious pressure peaks will be caused. The influence of water depth on the pressure gradually disappears as the gauging point gets higher. Accordingly, the vertical force under shallow water also has two peaks and is higher than that under deep water. Moreover, when entering shallow-water current, there will be a greater decrease in vertical velocity than entering still water.

Arching development above active trapdoor: insight from multi-scale analysis using FEM–SPH

AbstractUnderground excavation is usually accompanied by complex soil-structure interaction problems in practical engineering. This paper develops a novel multi-scale approach for investigating the soil arching effect through trapdoor tests. This approach adopts the finite element method (FEM) and smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) method to handle the particle-rigid body interaction in the trapdoor tests, incorporating a micromechanical 3D-H model to derive the nonlinear material response required by the SPH method. The variation of the earth pressure on the trapdoor in simulations exhibits good agreement with those of the experiments. Extensive parametric analyzes are performed to assess the effects of soil height and inter-particle friction angle on the evolution of load transfer and soil deformation. Three deformation patterns are observed under different buried conditions, including the trapezoid, the triangle, and the equal settlement pattern. Results indicate that the planes of equal settlement develop progressively with the trapdoor movement and then enter the range of experimentally observed values. Additionally, three failure mechanisms are identified that correspond to the three deformation patterns. Due to the advantages of the micromechanical model, mesoscale behavior is captured. The anisotropy of stress distribution in the plastic region is found during the arching process.

Numerical investigation of hypervelocity impact simulation with FEM/SPH formulation for space structures

This paper investigates the response of aluminum structures to hypervelocity impact (HVI) and the formation of debris clouds using the Adaptive Finite Element (FEM)/Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) method. The main objective is to accurately replicate the response of curved thin plates to various HVIs and to characterize the resulting debris cloud shapes., for representative of shielding structures against Micrometeoroids and Orbital Debris (MMOD). In particular, the effects of different solid element formulations on the adaptive method are investigated. Experimental data from the literature is used to validate the proposed model, which is then applied to a curved thin plate subjected to varying impact angles. The findings highlight the significant influence of solid element formulation on the effectiveness of the adaptive method. Moreover, a direct correlation is observed between the impact angle and the produced debris cloud shape. These results contribute to the current knowledge on HVI responses and provide valuable insights for predicting and analyzing debris cloud formation in relation to aluminum structures.

Exploring the air impacts on the state development of pipe flow using the smooth particle hydrodynamic method

Abstract It is widely recognized that the water flow in pipes can be affected by trapped air pockets. However, the underlying air–water interactions of free flow with non-jacking downstream of the pipe are rarely investigated. There are no studies at this time that clearly elucidate the differences in pipe flow between the vacuum and the presence of air in the free flow case. To this end, the smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) method is applied to study the air–water hydraulic dynamics in the pipe under free flow. We perform SPH simulations in several different scenarios and find that (i) the SPH method is competent to simulate both single- and two-phase flows in the pipe due to its outstanding advantages in capturing complex interfaces; (ii) only when the upstream water level is higher than the top of the pipe inlet, and the water level in the pipe rises to the top of the pipe due to air resistance, can a full pipe flow be formed; and (iii) the presence of air can cause the water to form a full pipe flow, causing a siphon-like effect that promotes pipe drainage. These results provide insights into the underlying complex air–water hydraulic properties in pipe flows.

Drying in nanoporous media with Kelvin effect: Capillary imbibition against evaporation by smoothed particle hydrodynamics method

Understanding drying processes in nanoporous media is of great importance in many technological and industrial situations. To better understand how gas moves through clayey rocks, of interest for underground disposal of radioactive wastes, we propose using pore-scale direct numerical simulations. In this study, we use the Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics method, which has proved to be an effective approach for simulating complex fluid dynamics within porous media at the nanoscale. Our simulations consider capillary-dominated two-phase flow with evaporation and condensation at liquid–gas interfaces, coupled to the diffusion of water vapor in the gas phase, as well as the Kelvin effect, which is a specific feature of nanopores. Our evaporation-condensation model is validated against analytical solutions. The size of the compact support of kernel function and the particle density required to obtain accurate and stable results of capillary pressure are investigated. Drying regimes, capillary-driven and evaporated-driven, are explored. A specific effort is made to highlight the influence of the Kelvin effect on desaturation and the creation of preferential paths for gas flow as well as its impact on drying rate. The role of condensation due to local vapor concentration conditions is also emphasized.

Numerical simulation of solidification of boiler molten ash impinging on vertical wall based on Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics method

In order to study the whole process of the high temperature liquid slag fly ash produced after the combustion of high alkali coal as power coal in the boiler furnace, which moves in the furnace and impinges on the water wall, the heat exchange occurs and then the cooling phase transformation deposits and slags, and the possible factors of slagging particles are studied by changing the environmental variables. In this paper, based on Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH), the dynamic behavior of boiler molten ash impacting vertical wall is studied, and the flow spreading and solidification model of molten slag impacting vertical wall is established. Thus, the process of phase change deposition of slag particles against wall is simulated. By observing the phase distribution of slag and the change in spreading process, the complete process of the slag particles hitting the wall, spreading, shrinking and solidifying is analyzed. Based on the cohesive and repulsive surface force method, a temperature-dependent surface tension model is established to simulate the effect of surface tension on flow characteristics when molten ash impinges on low-temperature vertical walls. The influences of slag impact velocity, initial temperature and water wall temperature on deformation and solidification heat transfer are discussed. The results show that the initial velocity and initial temperature of slag particles affect the phase change deposition velocity and the final spreading factor of slag, while the temperature of the water wall has little effect on the deposition deformation and solidification process of slag.

Application of Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics Method for the Analysis of the Flow Past Vertical Vortex Turbine of a Micro Hydropower

The Weakly Compressible Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (WCSPH) has been applied to simulate the flow through a Gravitational Vertical Turbine (GVT) configuration and the motion of the turbine of a small hydropower system. The turbine blades are assumed to be rigid bodies moving with one-degree of freedom, which is the rotation about its shaft due the hydrodynamic forces of the flow. The intake flow is an open channel flow which falls into a cylindrical basin which houses the turbine and impinges on the turbine blades. The method of simulation is the Weakly Compressible Smoothed Hydrodynamics (WCSPH) with the turbulence models in the equations of motion and the boundary conditions. The results are compared with a laboratory experiments conducted for the same dimension and the configuration. The flow features agree well and the motion of the turbine with a representative mass and a load agrees reasonably with the laboratory experiments

Study on coupled heat-water-vapor transfer in buffer material based on SPH method

To study the hydrothermal evolution law in buffer materials, based on the heat balance equation of unsaturated soil and the quality control equation of water migration, a coupled heat-water-vapor model of unsaturated soil is proposed. This model comprehensively considers the transition process of water vapor, the heat transfer caused by water flow and vapor migration, as well as the influence of temperature potential on water flow and vapor migration. The smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) method can be used to calculate their evolution process conveniently. In the solution, the vapor content of heat balance equation is solved first, and then the water content and temperature field are solved, so as the coupling of temperature field between water and vapor field is implemented. The rationality of the model is verified by the tested results of soil column test. According to the established theoretical model, the heat-water-vapor three-field coupling problem of the buffer material in the repository was simulated and studied, and the hydrothermal evolution law inside the buffer material was revealed. On this basis, the influence of the change of groundwater pressure and heat source temperature on the hydrothermal evolution law of buffer material was further analyzed.