Fluid-structure interaction solver for compressible flows with applications to blast loading on thin elastic structures

In this study, we report the development and application of a fluid-structure interaction (FSI) solver for compressible flows with large-scale flow-induced deformation of the structure. The FSI solver utilizes a partitioned approach to strongly couple a sharp interface immersed boundary method-based flow solver with an open-source finite-element structure dynamics solver. The flow solver is based on a higher-order finite-difference method using a Cartesian grid, where it employs the ghost-cell methodology to impose boundary conditions on the immersed boundary. Higher-order accuracy near the immersed boundary is achieved by combining the ghost-cell approach with a weighted least squares error method based on a higher-order approximate polynomial. We present validations for two-dimensional canonical acoustic wave scattering on a rigid cylinder at a low Mach number and for flow past a circular cylinder at a moderate Mach number. The second order spatial accuracy of the flow solver was established in a grid refinement study. The structural solver was validated according to a canonical elastostatics problem. The FSI solver was validated based on comparisons with published measurements and simulations of the large-scale deformation of a thin elastic steel panel subjected to blast loading in a shock tube. The solver correctly predicted the oscillating behavior of the tip of the panel with reasonable fidelity and the computed shock wave propagation was qualitatively consistent with the published results. In order to demonstrate the fidelity of the solver and to investigate the coupled physics of the shock-structure interaction for a thin elastic plate, we employed the solver to simulate a 6.4 kg TNT blast loading on the thin elastic plate. The initial conditions for the blast were taken from previously reported field tests. Using numerical schlieren, the shock front propagation, Mach reflection, and vortex shedding at the tip of the plate were visualized during the impact of the shock wave on the plate. We discuss the coupling between the nonlinear dynamics of the plate and blast loading. The plate oscillates under the influence of blast loading and the restoration of elastic forces. The time-varying displacement of the tip of the plate is the superimposition of two dominant frequencies, which correspond to the first and second modes of the natural frequency of a vibrating plate. The effects of the material properties and length of the plate on the flow-induced deformation are briefly discussed. The proposed FSI solver is a versatile computational tool for simulating the impact of a blast wave on thin elastic structures and the results presented in this study may facilitate the design of thin structures subjected to realistic blast loadings.