Finite Element Analysis of Flexible Structure and Cavitating Nonlinear Acoustic Fluid Interaction under Shock Wave Loading

Abstract

AbstractThis paper describes a numerical model and its finite element implementation that used to compute the cavitation effects on nonlinear acoustic fluid and adjacent flexible structure interaction. The system is composed of two sub-systems, namely, the fluid and the flexible flat plate. A fully coupled approach using iterative implicit partitioned scheme was implemented in the present work which can account for the effects associated whit a mutual interaction. This approach included a compressible nonlinear acoustic fluid Eulerian solver and a Lagrangian solver for the flexible structure both in finite element formulation. A novel implementation of acoustic cavitation was made possible with the introduction of a simplified one-fluid cavitation model. The element-by-element PCG (Preconditioned Conjugate Gradient) solver together with diagonal preconditioning is used to solve the large equation system resulting from the finite element discretization of the governing equation of fluid domain. The capability of three different cavitation model, as the cut-off model, Modified Schmidt model and developed model are compared with each other in the evaluation of plate vibration response. Simulation results are presented on a large size shock tube, in which planar shock waves were impacting in “face on” configuration flat plates mounted at tube's end. Results are presented to demonstrate the capability of proposed solver in simulating cavitating nonlinear acoustic fluid. Obtained results show that impact forces caused impinging shock wave and reloading by cavitating region collapse have a considerable effect on the dynamic response of flexible plate.