Convergence analysis of an unfitted mesh semi-implicit coupling scheme for incompressible fluid-structure interaction (Q2679756)

An a priori error analysis of the unfitted mesh semi-implicit coupling scheme in [\textit{M. A. Fernández} and \textit{F. M. Gerosa}, ``An unfitted mesh semi-implicit coupling scheme for fluid-structure interaction with immersed solids'', Int. J. Numer. Methods Eng. 122, No. 19, 5384--5408 (2021; \url{doi:10.1002/nme.6449})] is performed. This method combines a Nitsche based unfitted mesh spatial approximation with a fractional-step time-marching in the fluid. The viscous part of the coupling is treated in an explicit form, avoiding strong coupling, while the remaining fluid pressure and solid contributions are treated implicitly. Robust a priori error estimates are derived for two extrapolated variants which stand for the extrapolation of the solid velocity. The fundamental role of Nitsche's penalty term in the stability and accuracy of the splitting is highlighted by the analysis. The stability analysis is extended to the case of second-order extrapolation of the solid velocity under a similar hyperbolic CFL condition. The superior accuracy of the method is also supported by numerical experiments in an academic benchmark.