Second-Order Semi-Implicit Partitioned Method for Fluid-Structure Interaction Problems

Abstract

This paper is concerned with numerical solution of fluid-structure interaction (FSI) problems involving an incompressible viscous flow and an elastic structure. A second-order time accurate semi-implicit method is proposed that separates the pressure term of the fluid equations and strongly couples it to the structure, while the rest of the fluid terms and the geometrical derivatives (moving mesh) are only loosely coupled. A second-order projection method is used to solve the fluid equations and also as a framework for the FSI coupling. Particular attention is paid to the accuracy of the fluid pressure in the projection method. The proposed coupling method retains the second-order accuracy for the coupled system. Numerical tests are carried out on a benchmark problem and the second-order accuracy for all the variables of interest (fluid velocity and pressure, and structural deformation) is demonstrated.