preCICE

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preCICE FSI-coupling with

OpenFOAM and CalculiX

DHCAE Tools is proud to announce a support for coupled flow and structural applications in CastNet based on preCICE as coupling system using OpenFOAM (CFD) and CalculiX (CSM) as solvers.

The outstanding features of the preCICE coupling are

Implicit and explicit coupling. Implicit coupling can be used in serial or parallel mode
Wide range of accurate data mapping options
Advanced coupling accleration with constant, Aitken and quasi Newton relaxation for a fast FSI simulation
Flexible time stepping allowing subcycling for the solvers
Powerful OpenFOAM integration for all solvers with dynamic meshing (incompressible/compressible, multiphase…)

Case setup

CastNet enables the user to setup a complete simulation case for OpenFOAM, CalculiX and the preCICE coupling, based on a single CAD geometry input. Meshing and analysis definitions are completely GUI based and associated with the CAD geometry.

In the CFD domain, hybrid meshing with structured mesh regions in areas of high mesh deformation during the FSI coupling are easily realized. For CalculiX linear or curved second order elements are available.

The OpenFOAM and CalculiX solver setups are defined in a GUI based manner. There is no need to have a detail knowledge of the solver specific keywords or to be familiar with the text-file structure of the solvers.

The preCICE coupling setup is realized by an additional GUI entry for the coupling procedure and mesh motion. A wide range of coupling and mapping options in preCICE are supported. The FSI-interfaces in the fluid and structural domain are defined by associating the CAD geometry faces with the boundary conditions. The case setup is simplified by pre-defined templates for the solvers and the coupling.

Running and monitoring

In runGUI the case is executed and monitored. Beside the typical residual, probes and surface value plots, additional information for the coupling (e.g. number of coupling iterations) are plotted.

The fluid and structural results can be visualized together in a single Paraview session using DHCAE’s vtk-data translator for CalculiX results.

Our service for FSI applications

DHCAE Tools has many years of experience in the field of fluid-structure simulations for industrial applications. This includes

hydromounts for automotive applications
membrane pumps for blood flow and various liquid media
moving membranes for energy generation from ocean currents and
structural deformations in high pressure pumps.

Of course we also perform FSI simulations as a service. Should you decide to use CastNet in-house, we offer training and support based on our extensive experience with fluid structure applications.