Computational Fluid Dynamics
Numerical modeling is becoming increasingly important for developing advanced vehicles.
We initiated Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) studies aimed at modeling air-cavity flows.
The volume-of-fluid (VOF) method is implemented in the finite-volume approach.
Viscosity, turbulence, surface tension, and wall adhesion are included. RANS equations are solved by computer code Fluent.
The two-dimensional computational domain with numerical grid and calculated flow patterns in the steady state are shown below
for a model-scale stepped hull with an air cavity.
Flow patterns around a zero-trim hull at the step submergence h = 4.1 cm and the incident water flow velocity U = 60 cm/s:
(a) volume fraction contours, where 1.0 is air, 0 is water, and intermediate regions correspond to a mixture;
(b) velocity vectors; (c) pressure contours in Pa; (d) velocity contours in m/s. Dashed line represents the mean phase interface.
