Paper by Ahmed et al. "A Modified Overset Method in OpenFOAM for Simultaneous Motion and Deformation"

Highlights from the OpenFOAM® Journal: Diving into Advanced FSI and Overset

Today, we're highlighting a valuable paper from our 2024 volume: "A Modified Overset Method in OpenFOAM for Simultaneous Motion and Deformation", by Karim Ahmed, Ahmed A. Hamada, Ludovic Chatellier, and Mirjam Furth.

This work pushes the boundaries of fluid-structure interaction simulations. Here's a look at its key contributions:

The Innovation
This paper introduces dynamicOversetZoneFvMesh, a mesh deformation solver designed to overcome limitations in OpenFOAM's conventional overset method for fluid-structure interaction (FSI).

The Application
It explores both a rigid-body flapping foil as well as a flexible flapping foil as case studies to analyze motion inspired by animal propulsion.

Key Finding
The research reveals that adding leading-edge flexibility can significantly improve the power extraction efficiency of flapping foils—a crucial insight for energy harvesting and propulsion systems.

Fully Reproducible
In the true spirit of Open Science, the full source code and case files are available for download directly from the article page, alongside a dedicated discussion forum.

Ready to explore the details? Read the full paper and access the code.