Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “implicit time integration”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 55 records · Page 3

The application of Seasat-1 radar altimetry to continental shelf circulation modeling

Seasat-1 radar altimetry data have been used to verify a continental shelf circulation model subjected to tidal forcing on the open boundary. The model makes use of the semi-implicit mode of time integration, removing the surface gravity wave time step restriction. Both the altimetry and the model predictions are compared with empirically determined tidal fluctuations and generally good agreement is obtained.

Cornillon, P.↗

TAP 2: A finite element program for thermal analysis of convectively cooled structures

A finite element computer program (TAP 2) for steady-state and transient thermal analyses of convectively cooled structures is presented. The program has a finite element library of six elements: two conduction/convection elements to model heat transfer in a solid, two convection elements to model heat transfer in a fluid, and two integrated conduction/convection elements to represent combined heat transfer in tubular and plate/fin fluid passages. Nonlinear thermal analysis due to temperature-dependent thermal parameters is performed using the Newton-Raphson iteration method. Transient analyses are performed using an implicit Crank-Nicolson time integration scheme with consistent or lumped capacitance matrices as an option. Program output includes nodal temperatures and element heat fluxes. Pressure drops in fluid passages may be computed as an option. User instructions and sample problems are presented in appendixes.

Thornton, E. A.↗

Semi-Lagrangian integration of a gridpoint shallow water model on the sphere

A stable, semi-Lagrangian, semi-implicit, two-time-level, gridpoint integration scheme for the shallow water equations on the sphere is presented. A rotated spherical coordinate system is used to integrate the equations of motion at each gridpoint poleward of a certain latitude, thus overcoming problems associated with the polar singularity. The results of medium term integrations of large scale test patterns using a long time step are presented.

Mcdonald, A.↗

An implicit and stiffly stable finite element CFD algorithm for unsteady aerodynamics

A stable and accurate finite element CFD algorithm for hyperbolic/incompletely parabolic conservation law systems is described and verified. It combines a Taylor weak statement FEM, an optimal implicit Runge-Kutta time integration algorithm, and a matrix tensor product approximate factorization linear algebra procedure. The results of computational experiments show that the developed algorithm is robust.

Baker, A. J.↗

Development of computational methods for heavy lift launch vehicles

The research effort has been focused on the development of an advanced flow solver for complex viscous turbulent flows with shock waves. The three-dimensional Euler and full/thin-layer Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations for compressible flows are solved on structured hexahedral grids. The Baldwin-Lomax algebraic turbulence model is used for closure. The space discretization is based on a cell-centered finite-volume method augmented by a variety of numerical dissipation models with optional total variation diminishing limiters. The governing equations are integrated in time by an implicit method based on lower-upper factorization and symmetric Gauss-Seidel relaxation. The algorithm is vectorized on diagonal planes of sweep using two-dimensional indices in three dimensions. A new computer program named CENS3D has been developed for viscous turbulent flows with discontinuities. Details of the code are described in Appendix A and Appendix B. With the developments of the numerical algorithm and dissipation model, the simulation of three-dimensional viscous compressible flows has become more efficient and accurate. The results of the research are expected to yield a direct impact on the design process of future liquid fueled launch systems.

Yoon, Seokkwan↗

Development of advanced Navier-Stokes solver

The objective of research was to develop and validate new computational algorithms for solving the steady and unsteady Euler and Navier-Stokes equations. The end-products are new three-dimensional Euler and Navier-Stokes codes that are faster, more reliable, more accurate, and easier to use. The three-dimensional Euler and full/thin-layer Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations for compressible/incompressible flows are solved on structured hexahedral grids. The Baldwin-Lomax algebraic turbulence model is used for closure. The space discretization is based on a cell-centered finite-volume method augmented by a variety of numerical dissipation models with optional total variation diminishing limiters. The governing equations are integrated in time by an implicit method based on lower-upper factorization and symmetric Gauss-Seidel relaxation. The algorithm is vectorized on diagonal planes of sweep using two-dimensional indices in three dimensions. Convergence rates and the robustness of the codes are enhanced by the use of an implicit full approximation storage multigrid method.

Yoon, Seokkwan↗

Numerical Simulations of Steady and Unsteady Transition in Low-Pressure Turbine Blade Rows

Transition plays an important role in the prediction of losses and performance in low-pressure turbines. The transition location on a turbine blade may vary significantly because of the wakes from upstream blade rows, and intermittent flow separation can also affect the transition process in an unsteady flow environment. In the present investigation, an unsteady Navier-Stokes analysis is used to predict transition in a low-pressure turbine cascade and a low-pressure turbine stage. The numerical flow analysis is third-order spatially accurate and second-order temporally accurate, and the equations of motion are integrated using an implicit time-marching procedure. The Baldwin-Lomax and k-epsilon turbulence models, in conjunction with several algebraic transition models, have been used to predict the location of transition. Predicted results include unsteady blade loadings, time-histories of the pressure, transition locations and boundary layer quantities, as well as performance quantities and comparisons with the available experimental/design data.

Dorney, Daniel↗

A transient FETI methodology for large-scale parallel implicit computations in structural mechanics

Explicit codes are often used to simulate the nonlinear dynamics of large-scale structural systems, even for low frequency response, because the storage and CPU requirements entailed by the repeated factorizations traditionally found in implicit codes rapidly overwhelm the available computing resources. With the advent of parallel processing, this trend is accelerating because explicit schemes are also easier to parallelize than implicit ones. However, the time step restriction imposed by the Courant stability condition on all explicit schemes cannot yet -- and perhaps will never -- be offset by the speed of parallel hardware. Therefore, it is essential to develop efficient and robust alternatives to direct methods that are also amenable to massively parallel processing because implicit codes using unconditionally stable time-integration algorithms are computationally more efficient when simulating low-frequency dynamics. Here we present a domain decomposition method for implicit schemes that requires significantly less storage than factorization algorithms, that is several times faster than other popular direct and iterative methods, that can be easily implemented on both shared and local memory parallel processors, and that is both computationally and communication-wise efficient. The proposed transient domain decomposition method is an extension of the method of Finite Element Tearing and Interconnecting (FETI) developed by Farhat and Roux for the solution of static problems. Serial and parallel performance results on the CRAY Y-MP/8 and the iPSC-860/128 systems are reported and analyzed for realistic structural dynamics problems. These results establish the superiority of the FETI method over both the serial/parallel conjugate gradient algorithm with diagonal scaling and the serial/parallel direct method, and contrast the computational power of the iPSC-860/128 parallel processor with that of the CRAY Y-MP/8 system.

Farhat, Charbel↗

An improved semi-implicit method for structural dynamics analysis

A semi-implicit algorithm is presented for direct time integration of the structural dynamics equations. The algorithm avoids the factoring of the implicit difference solution matrix and mitigates the unacceptable accuracy losses which plagued previous semi-implicit algorithms. This substantial accuracy improvement is achieved by augmenting the solution matrix with two simple diagonal matrices of the order of the integration truncation error.

Park, K. C.↗

A transient FETI methodology for large-scale parallel implicit computations in structural mechanics, part 2

Explicit codes are often used to simulate the nonlinear dynamics of large-scale structural systems, even for low frequency response, because the storage and CPU requirements entailed by the repeated factorizations traditionally found in implicit codes rapidly overwhelm the available computing resources. With the advent of parallel processing, this trend is accelerating because explicit schemes are also easier to parallellize than implicit ones. However, the time step restriction imposed by the Courant stability condition on all explicit schemes cannot yet and perhaps will never be offset by the speed of parallel hardware. Therefore, it is essential to develop efficient and robust alternatives to direct methods that are also amenable to massively parallel processing because implicit codes using unconditionally stable time-integration algorithms are computationally more efficient than explicit codes when simulating low-frequency dynamics. Here we present a domain decomposition method for implicit schemes that requires significantly less storage than factorization algorithms, that is several times faster than other popular direct and iterative methods, that can be easily implemented on both shared and local memory parallel processors, and that is both computationally and communication-wise efficient. The proposed transient domain decomposition method is an extension of the method of Finite Element Tearing and Interconnecting (FETI) developed by Farhat and Roux for the solution of static problems. Serial and parallel performance results on the CRAY Y-MP/8 and the iPSC-860/128 systems are reported and analyzed for realistic structural dynamics problems. These results establish the superiority of the FETI method over both the serial/parallel conjugate gradient algorithm with diagonal scaling and the serial/parallel direct method, and contrast the computational power of the iPSC-860/128 parallel processor with that of the CRAY Y-MP/8 system.

Farhat, Charbel↗

Implicit and Multigrid Method for Ideal Multigrid Convergence: Direct Numerical Simulation of Separated Flow Around NACA 0012 Airfoil

Numerical investigation of flow separation over a NACA 0012 airfoil at large angles of attack has been carried out. The numerical calculation is performed by solving the full Navier-Stokes equations in generalized curvilinear coordinates. The second-order LU-SGS implicit scheme is applied for time integration. This scheme requires no tridiagonal inversion and is capable of being completely vectorized, provided the corresponding Jacobian matrices are properly selected. A fourth-order centered compact scheme is used for spatial derivatives. In order to reduce numerical oscillation, a sixth-order implicit filter is employed. Non-reflecting boundary conditions are imposed at the far-field and outlet boundaries to avoid possible non-physical wave reflection. Complex flow separation and vortex shedding phenomenon have been observed and discussed.

Liu, Chao-Qun↗

A technique for the prediction of airfoil flutter characteristics in separated flow

A solution procedure is described for determining the two-dimensional, one- or two-degree-of-freedom flutter characteristics of arbitrary airfoils at large angles of attack. The same procedure is used to predict stall flutter. This procedure requires a simultaneous integration in time of the solid and fluid equations of motion. The fluid equations of motion are the unsteady compressible Navier-Stokes equations, solved in a body-fitted moving coordinate system using an approximate factorization scheme. The solid equations of motion are integrated in time using an Euler implicit scheme. Flutter is said to occur if small disturbances imposed on the airfoil attitude lead to divergent oscillatory motions at subsequent times. Results for a number of special cases are presented to demonstrate the suitability of this scheme to predict flutter at large mean angles of attack. Some stall flutter applications are also presented.

Wu, Jiunn-Chi↗

Application of Navier-Stokes analysis to stall flutter

A solution procedure was developed to investigate the two-dimensional, one- or two-dimensional flutter characteristics of arbitrary airfoils. This procedure requires a simultaneous integration in time of the solid and fluid equations of motion. The fluid equations of motion are the unsteady compressible Navier-Stokes equations, solved in a body-fitted moving coordinate system using an approximate factorization scheme. The solid equations of motion are integrated in time using an Euler implicit scheme. Flutter is said to occur if small disturbances imposed on the airfoil attitude lead to divergent oscillatory motions at subsequent times. The flutter characteristics of airfoils in subsonic speed at high angles of attack and airfoils in high subsonic and transonic speeds at low angles of attack are investigated. The stall flutter characteristics are also predicted using the same procedure.

Wu, J. C.↗

Oscillatory flow with heat transfer in a square cavity

A computational study is presented for the flow inside an oscillatory cavity. The numerical scheme employs a semi-implicit, time-splitting method to integrate the two-dimensional full Navier-Stokes equations satisfying continuity to machine accuracy. The efficient use of direct solvers for the uncoupled momentum and pressure equations is demonstrated. The oscillatory cavity flow is studied considering the effects of heat transfer, Reynolds number, and oscillatory Stokes number.

Biringen, S.↗

Numerical prediction of the unsteady flowfield around the F-18 aircraft at large incidence

This paper describes a numerical method capable of solving the steady and unsteady viscous flow around complete aircraft configurations at high angles of attack. This method is used to simulate the external flow around the F-18 aircraft, including deflected control surfaces. The current technique employs a generalized overset zonal grid scheme to decompose the computational space around the aircraft. The grid around various components of the aircraft are created numerically using a three-dimensional hyperbolic grid generation procedure. The Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations are integrated using a time-accurate, implicit procedure. Results for the turbulent flow around the F-18 aircraft at 30 degrees angle of attack show the details of the flowfield structure, including the unsteadiness created by the vortex burst and the resulting fluctuating airloads exerted on the vertical tail. The computed results agree fairly well with flight data for surface pressure, surface flow pattern, vortex burst location, and the dominant frequency for tail load fluctuations.

Rizk, Yehia M.↗

Numerical investigation of tail buffet on F-18 aircraft

Numerical investigation of vortex induced tail buffet is conducted on the F-18 aircraft at high angles of attack. The Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations are integrated using a time-accurate, implicit procedure. A generalized overset zonal grid scheme is used to decompose the computational space around the complete aircraft with faired-over inlet. A weak coupling between the aerodynamics and structures is assumed to compute the structural oscillation of the flexible vertical tail. Time-accurate computations of the turbulent flow around the F-18 aircraft at 30 degrees angle of attack show the surface and off-surface flowfield details, including the unsteadiness created by the vortex burst and its interaction with the vertical twin tail which causes the tail buffet. The effect of installing a LEX fence on modifying the vortex structure upstream of the tail is also examined.

Rizk, Yehia M.↗

Flow simulations about steady-complex and unsteady moving configurations using structured-overlapped and unstructured grids

The limiting factor in simulating flows past realistic configurations of interest has been the discretization of the physical domain on which the governing equations of fluid flow may be solved. In an attempt to circumvent this problem, many Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) methodologies that are based on different grid generation and domain decomposition techniques have been developed. However, due to the costs involved and expertise required, very few comparative studies between these methods have been performed. In the present work, the two CFD methodologies which show the most promise for treating complex three-dimensional configurations as well as unsteady moving boundary problems are evaluated. These are namely the structured-overlapped and the unstructured grid schemes. Both methods use a cell centered, finite volume, upwind approach. The structured-overlapped algorithm uses an approximately factored, alternating direction implicit scheme to perform the time integration, whereas, the unstructured algorithm uses an explicit Runge-Kutta method. To examine the accuracy, efficiency, and limitations of each scheme, they are applied to the same steady complex multicomponent configurations and unsteady moving boundary problems. The steady complex cases consist of computing the subsonic flow about a two-dimensional high-lift multielement airfoil and the transonic flow about a three-dimensional wing/pylon/finned store assembly. The unsteady moving boundary problems are a forced pitching oscillation of an airfoil in a transonic freestream and a two-dimensional, subsonic airfoil/store separation sequence. Accuracy was accessed through the comparison of computed and experimentally measured pressure coefficient data on several of the wing/pylon/finned store assembly's components and at numerous angles-of-attack for the pitching airfoil. From this study, it was found that both the structured-overlapped and the unstructured grid schemes yielded flow solutions of comparable accuracy for these simulations. This study also indicated that, overall, the structured-overlapped scheme was slightly more CPU efficient than the unstructured approach.

Newman, James C., III↗

On spurious behavior of CFD simulations

Spurious behavior in underresolved grids and/or semi-implicit temporal discretizations for four computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations are studied. The numerical simulations consist of (a) a 1-D chemically relaxed nonequilibrium model, (b) the direct numerical simulation (DNS) of 2-D incompressible flow over a backward facing step, (c) a loosely-coupled approach for a 2-D fluid-structure interaction, and (d) a 3-D compressible unsteady flow simulation of vortex breakdown in delta wings. Using knowledge from dynamical systems theory, various types of spurious behaviors that are numerical artifacts were systematically identified. These studies revealed the various possible dangers of misinterpreting numerical simulation of realistic complex flows that are constrained by the available computing power. In large scale computations underresolved grids, semi-implicit procedures, loosely-coupled implicit procedures, and insufficiently long time integration in DNS are most often unavoidable. Consequently, care must be taken in both computation and in interpretation of the numerical data. The results presented confirm the important role that dynamical systems theory can play in the understanding of the nonlinear behavior of numerical algorithms and in aiding the identification of the sources of numerical uncertainties in CFD.

Numerical Solution↗