Numerical Approximation of Fluid Structure Interaction (FSI) Problem

Nowadays, advanced composite materials such as carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRP) are being applied to many aircraft structures in order to improve performance and reduce weight. Most composites have strong, stiff fibres in a matrix which is weaker and less stiff. However, aircraft wings can break due to Fluid-Structure Interaction (FSI) oscillations or material fatigue. The airflow around an airplane wing causes the wing to deform, while a wing deformation causes a change in the air pattern around it. Due to thrust force, turbulent flow and high speed, fluid-structure interaction (FSI) is very important and arouses complex mechanical effects. Due to the non-linear properties of fluids and solids as well as the shape of the structures, only numerical approaches can be used to solve such problems. The principal aim of this research is to explore and understand the behaviour of the fluid-structure interaction during the impact of a deformable material (e.g. an aircraft wing) on air. This project focuses on the analysis of Navier-Stokes and elastodynamic equations in the arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian (ALE) frameworks in order to numerically simulate the FSI effect on a double wedge airfoil. Since analytical solutions are only available in special cases, the equation needs to be solved by numerical methods. Of all methods, the finite element method was chosen due to its special characteristics and for its implementation, the software package DOpElib.