A moving-grid finite element algorithm for supersonic flow interaction between moving bodies (Q1083311)

The present study describes a finite element scheme which provides for the computer simulation of the motion of one finite element mesh relative to another along a smooth interface through which flow occurs. The scheme is designed to simulate transient flow interaction phenomena encountered in situations in which two or more solid bodies move relative to one another through an arbitrary flow field. Particular applications include simulations of rotor-stator flow interactions in turbomachinery. Although the method is applicable to any type of flow interaction problem, the applications considered here focus on the modeling of supersonic flow interactions characterized by the time-dependent Euler equations, and on problems of pure advection of a scalar field, all in two-dimensional flow domains. Several numerical examples are given to demonstrate the robustness and the performance of the numerical scheme.