Dynamic Meshes

Dynamic Meshes

OpenFOAM contains a range of dynamic mesh functionality within a set of libraries that is plugged into a range of dynamic mesh solvers — usually identifiable by DyM in the name, e.g. interDyMFoam.

Dynamic Mesh Functionality

The type of dynamic mesh functionality includes the following.

  • Solid body motion of a mesh according to prescribed motion function, e.g. sloshing in a tank.
  • Internal motion (distortion etc) of a mesh calculated from boundary motion, e.g. object floating at a free surface.
  • Dynamic refinement/unrefinement of hex meshes, e.g. about an fluid interface, shock, etc.
  • Prescribed motion of a mesh, e.g. according to a periodic boundary motion.

Boundary Motion

There are a number of tools to specify the boundary motion in conjunction with mesh motion.

  • Prescribed six degree of freedom (6DoF) motion functions, e.g. translations and rotations.
  • Tabulated 6DoF motion, that interpolates discrete data.
  • Specialised Ship design analysis (SDA) 3DoF motion function.
  • 6DoF motion caused by flow, e.g. floating object, that can also permit constraints (fixed points) and restraints (springs and dampers)