(November 5, 2019) – CFD Research announced today a $750k contract from the U.S. Air Force to develop a new high-accuracy dynamic geometry and meshing capability for computational modeling and simulation tools. As simulations of maneuvering bodies, store separation, and dynamically deforming surfaces (as is the case for fluid-structure interaction) have become more commonplace, CFD Research is leading the way with new techniques needed to deal with the resulting dynamic volume meshing requirements.
“Traditionally, the mesh generation is decoupled from the simulation and new meshes are generated manually with a stand-alone mesh generation tool, which can be time consuming and inconvenient,” said Dr. H.Q. Yang, CFD Research Chief Scientist and Principal Investigator for the project. “Many aerospace-related applications, such as fluid-structure interaction (FSI), require dynamic movement of the discretized surfaces resulting in a computational volume mesh that must automatically adapt to the evolving surface changes.”
In prior work, CFD Research developed the geometry kernel based on an advanced NURBS fitting procedure, a Bézier curve method, and a subdivision surface procedure to recover and to retain the surface geometry. They also developed APIs to allow the geometry kernel to interoperate with various simulation frameworks and demonstrated accurate applications including adaptive mesh refinement near curved boundaries, aeroelasticity, dynamic simulations with body movement, and high-order mesh generation.
Initial Linear Surface Mesh (top) and CFD Research’s Geometry Kernel High-order Mesh (bottom)
In this new effort, CFD Research will focus on further developing the capability for a wider class of problems and incorporating the geometry kernel into the DoD’s High-Performance Computing Modernization Program (HPCMP) CREATE-AV framework to generate high-order meshes. Work will also be done to access and preserve the underlying geometry for constrained surface mesh movement for mesh manipulation, smoothing, and adaptive mesh refinement capabilities.
“The new geometry kernel and high-order mesh generation capability will greatly streamline the processes of high-order curved surface and volume mesh generation removing the bottleneck between geometric definition and flow solution,” commented Sami Habchi, CFD Research Executive Vice-President. “This is crucial for dynamic simulations involving surface mesh deformation and adaptive mesh refinement.”
About CFD Research:
Since its inception in 1987, CFD Research has worked with government agencies, businesses and academia to provide innovative solutions within the Aerospace & Defense, Biomedical & Life Sciences, and Energy & Materials industries. Over the years CFD Research has earned multiple national awards for successful application and commercialization of innovative component/system technology prototypes, multi-physics simulation software, multi-disciplinary analyses, and expert support services. CFD Research is an ISO9001 and AS9100 registered company and is appraised at CMMI Level II for services. Learn more at www.cfdrc.com.
