Animated interplay between solids and fluids
Whether it is the ignition of inertial confinement fusion capsule or the mechanics of supernovas, simulating the motion of fluids is anything but simple. Liquids and gases interact with each other and with solid materials. In addition, these interactions may occur at high pressures and temperatures. To simulate the interplay between fluids and solid materials, scientists worked on an open-source CFD code. girdap was developed within the CART3DADAPT(opens in new window) (Marker-based, 3-D adaptive Cartesian grid method for multiphase flow around irregular geometries) project for researchers and educators. The new CFD code provides the building blocks for numerical simulations of complex fluid dynamics equations, like the Navier-Stokes equations. It is designed to avoid time-consuming programming details during the development of new numerical algorithms but is also simple enough to teach students existing ones. In girdap, two different techniques allowing numerical simulations to be computed on a grid were combined. A stationary (Eulerian) grid is applied to resolve the flow field, while moving (Lagrangian) surface meshes modify the grid so that it matches the fluid-air interface and solid boundaries. The independent but related grid layouts combined to resolve fluid flow and treat the fluid interface and solid boundaries, promising an effective fluid simulator. On the other hand, automated grid refinement and coarsening based on the solution field ensure that fluid simulations have high accuracy. The CART3DADAPT code is freely available on Github(opens in new window) to enhance research in numerical simulations of fluid-solid interactions.
