2D simulation of fluid-structure interaction using finite element method

This paper deals with pressure-based finite element analysis of fluid-structure systems considering the coupled fluid and structural dynamics. The present method uses two-dimensional fluid elements and structural line elements for the numerical simulation of the problem. The equations of motion of the fluid, considered inviscid and compressible, are expressed in terms of the pressure variable alone. The solution of the coupled system is accomplished by solving the two systems separately with the interaction effects at the fluid-solid interface enforced by an iterative scheme. Non-divergent pressure and displacement are obtained simultaneously through iterations. The Galerkin weighted residual method-based FE formulation and the iterative solution procedure are explained in detail followed by some numerical examples. Numerical results are compared with the existing solutions to validate the code for sloshing with fluid-structure coupling. (C) 2008 Elsevier B. V. All rights reserved.