FLUID STRUCTURE INTERACTION ANALYSIS BY THE FINITE-ELEMENT METHOD - A VARIATIONAL APPROACH

We have developed a finite element method for analysing non-linear and linear fluid-structure interaction problems by working directly from a variational indicator based on Hamilton's principle. We restrict our analyses to inviscid, irrotational and isentropic fluid flows. The variational indicator includes the fluid potential energy due to gravity, which is often ignored. This and the fact that we consider our domain to be variable provide us with the capability to model free surfaces. We demonstrate the effectiveness of both linear and non-linear finite element formulations in analysing a variety of fluid-structure interaction problems.