FOIST: Fluid–object interaction subcomputation technique.

Our target is to develop computational techniques for studying aerodynamic interactions between multiple objects. The computational challenge is to predict the dynamic behavior and path of the object, so that separation (the process of objects relatively falling or moving away from each other) is safe and effective. This is a very complex problem because it has an unsteady, 3D nature and requires the solution of complex equations that govern the fluid dynamics (FD) of the object and the aircraft together, with their relative positions changing in time. Large-scale 3D FD simulations require a high computational cost. Not only must one solve the time-dependent Navier–Stokes equations governing the fluid flow, but also one must handle the equations of motion of the object as well as the treatment of the moving domain usually treated as a type of pseudo-solid. These costs include mesh update methods, distortion-limiting techniques, and remeshing and projection tactics. To save computational costs, point force calculations have been performed in the past. This paper presents a hybrid between full mesh-moving simulations and the point force calculation. This mesh-moving alternative is called FOIST: fluid–object subcomputation interaction technique. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]