Boundary layer mesh resolution in flow computation with the Space-Time Variational Multiscale method and isogeometric discretization

We present an extensive study on boundary layer mesh resolution in flow computation with the Space-Time Variational Multiscale (ST-VMS) method and isogeometric discretization. The study is in the context of 2D flow past a circular cylinder, at Reynolds number ranging from 102 to 106. It was motivated by the need to have in tire aerodynamics a better understanding of the mesh resolution requirements near the tire surface. The focus in the study is on the normal-direction element length for the first layer of elements near the cylinder, with that length varying by a refinement factor ranging from 2 to 40. The evaluation is based mostly on the velocity profile near the cylinder. As the element length for the first layer is varied, the element lengths for the other layers of the disk-shaped inner mesh are adjusted, with no increase in the number of elements for the refinement factors 2, 3, and 4, and with modest increases only in the radial direction for refinement factors beyond that. The computations are performed with quadratic NURBS basis functions in space and linear basis functions in time. The expressions for the stabilization parameters used in the ST-VMS and for the related local lengths scales are those targeting isogeometric discretization, introduced in recent years. The mesh resolution study is based mostly on the strong enforcement of the Dirichlet boundary conditions on the cylinder, but also includes some computations with the weakly-enforced conditions. We expect that the data generated and observations made will be helpful in setting proper near-surface mesh resolution in VMS-based computations with isogeometric discretization, not only for cylindrical shapes but also for comparable geometries. We furthermore expect that although the data generated and observations made are based on computations with nonmoving meshes, they will also be applicable to computations with moving meshes where the mesh around the solid surface rotates with the surface in the framework of the ST Slip Interface method.