Presentations, Conferences, and Papers from the Archive
"Development of a Computational Approach to Detect Instability and Incipient Motion of Large Riprap Rocks"
Presentation at the Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting
Washington DC, January 14, 2014
Paper number 14-3035
Cezary Bojanowski
Transportation Research and Analysis Computing Center (TRACC),
Energy Systems Division
Argonne National Laboratory
Steven Lottes
Transportation Research and Analysis Computing Center (TRACC),
Energy Systems Division
Argonne National Laboratory
Abstract
Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) has progressed to the point where flow problems can be solved in
domains containing solid objects with complex, irregular geometry in relative motion along arbitrary
paths through the fluid domain. The solvers incorporate moving mesh and mesh morphing techniques.
With this new CFD capability the detailed stress distribution created by flow over the surface of a moving
solid and the capability of computational structural mechanics (CSM) software to solve for both small and
large displacements of solids from applied loads, it is now possible to solve a wide variety of fluid
structure interaction (FSI) problems by coupling the two types of software. This paper presents
development of procedures to couple STAR-CCM+® CFD software to LS-DYNA® CSM software to
solve FSI problems. An initial application of the coupled software to FSI analysis of incipient motion of
large riprap rocks is described. Two cases were used to test the coupling. The first has a rock layer in a
channel with no bridge structures, and the second has an abutment corner that contracts the flow. Three
representative rocks were included in the coupling and the approximate inlet flow velocity required to lift
a rock and move it downstream was determined.
Video of Presentation PowerPoint