FEM simulation of turbulent flow in a turbine blade passage with dynamical fluid-structure interaction

Results are described from a combined mathematical modeling and numerical iteration schemes of flow and vibration. We consider the coupling numerical simulations of both turbulent flow and structure vibration induced by flow. The methodology used is based on the stabilized finite element formulations with time integration. A fully coupled model of flow and flow-induced structure vibration was established using a hydride generalized variational principle of fluid and solid dynamics. The spatial discretization of this coupling model is based on the finite element interpolating formulations for the fluid and solid structure, while the different time integration schemes are respectively used for fluid and solid structure to obtain a stabilized algorithm. For fluid and solid dynamics, Hughes' predictor multi-corrector algorithm and the Newmark method are monolithically used to realize a monolithic solution of the fully coupled model. The numerical convergence is ensured for small deformation vibrating problems of the structure by using different time steps for fluid and solid, respectively. The established model and the associated numerical methodology developed in the paper were then applied to simulate two different flows. The first one is the lid-driven square cavity flow with different Reynolds numbers of 1000, 400 and 100 and the second is the turbulent flows in a 3-D turbine blade passage with dynamical fluid–structure interaction. Good agreement between numerical simulations and measurements of pressure and vibration acceleration indicates that the finite element method formulations developed in this paper are appropriate to deal with the flow under investigation. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.