Partitioned Analysis of Transient Nonlinear Fluid Structure Interaction Problems Including Free Surface Effects

This paper sketches some of our current efforts towards the development of a general and robust computational procedure for solving time-dependent nonlinear fluid structure interaction problems. In our approach, discretization in space is done solely via the finite element method, and direct integration schemes are employed in time. A stabilized finite element method based upon an arbitrary Lagrangean-Eulerian (ALE) approach has been developed to model the incompressible viscous fluid. Free fluid surfaces are described by a local Lagrange approach. To capture large structural displacements, geometrically nonlinear effects are taken into account. The final three-field coupled problem, with the moving mesh considered as the third field, is solved by partitioned analysis procedures.