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TWO-WAY FLUID-STRUCTURE INTERACTION HYDROELASTIC SIMULATION OF VIBRATING MEMBRANES WITH APPLICATIONS IN MARINE RENEWABLE WAVE POWER

Beg, Osman; Kuharat, Sireetorn; Beg, Tasveer; Pattison, J; Kadir, Ali; Leonard, Henry; Jouri, Walid

Authors

Tasveer Beg

J Pattison

Henry Leonard

Walid Jouri



Abstract

Modern ocean engineering is developing quickly and floating cities, new energy harvesting methods and novel
marine systems are unfolding in the 21st century. The intelligent design of many such systems is exploiting
“compliant” structures which deform under fluid dynamic loading, yet retain their function and integrity. These
include floating solar membrane panels, breakwaters, OTEC systems and marine robotic inspection devices e.g.
Mantadroid and MIT’s Soft robotic fish. The nature of the ocean is unpredicatble and such systems must be
designed for a range of loading conditions. Conventional rigid designs are now being superseded by compliant,
flexible systems largely due to the development of novel materials. These structures interact with the
hydrodynamic environment and perform “hydroelastically”. This involves two-way fluid structure interaction
(FSI) between the fluid and the deforming structure and requires advanced analysis methods. The process is
generally nonlinear and commercial computational fluid dynamics/finite element codes are presently the most
robust method for conducting such simulations. Indeed other loads may also arise including ice, tidal,
earthquake, debris impact etc. All these loadings can be accomodated reasonably with FSI analysis. In the
present work, motivated by examining in greater detail the mechanics of deformable membranes (for
submerged ocean energy systems), a detailed analysis of the FSI behaviour of a vertical membrane structure is
conducted. The analysis is performed on a thin plate acting as a membrane, experiencing under damped
oscillatory motion within a still marine environment (wave effects are ignored). Linear elastic material behaviour
is considered and extensive visualization of pressure, velocity and Von Mises (equivalent) stress contours are
provided. Mesh independence is conducted and validation of the tip deflection with COMSOL multi-physics
software is included. Extensive interpretation of the results is included and future modification pathways for
more complex analysis are outlined including wave effects with different order theories. A major novelty of the
present work is the full 3-D visualization of FSI with both flow fields and stress fields analyzed.

Deposit Date Oct 18, 2024
Publisher Taylor & Francis (Routledge)
Pages 295-329
DOI https://doi.org/10.1201/9781003473749
Publisher URL https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.1201/9781003473749-17/two-way-fluid-structure-interaction-hydroelastic-simulation-vibrating-membranes-applications-marine-renewable-wave-power-anwar-b%C3%A9g-kuharat-tasveer-b%C3%A9g-pattison-ali-kadir-henry-
Contract Date Oct 11, 2024