[cwang5]

Hi,I am completely new to the program, and I will be doing research on a movable flap (or surface) on top of a block. I am wondering how to proceed with the movable flap (single surface? or does it have to be a solid block?) and which solver I should be using (icoDyMFoam is the only one I know of). Thanks a lot.

John

You know, this forum has a search function. Go to http://www.cfd-online.com/cgi-bin/Op...cus/search.cgi and type in "flap", and you will find answers to many questions that you would ask next.

If you are new to OpenFOAM you may want to start with the tutorials, adapt those to your case and then ask informed questions about specific problems.

Your answers are: yes, a flap can be modeled as a single surface or as a solid block in OpenFOAM. Which one you use depends on your problem. icoDyMFoam may be an appropriate solver if you study incompressible, laminar flow. Whether you should be using it, depends on your problem.

Nadine

[cwang5]

Hi Nadine,

Thanks for the fast reply. I did search the forum for previous posting, but the results I've got are rather confusing. I did come across a posting saying that OpenFOAM does not recognize a single internal surface, and would not be able to impose boundary condition on the surface. I will try out a few geometry using the icoDyMFoam tutorial case to get familiar with the program first, and move on from there. Thanks.

A "single internal surface" requires faces pointing to both sides, so maybe you'd call it a double internal surface.

Nadine

[mattijs]

We call it a baffle. Just two boundary faces using the same points but in opposite order. Create (from faceSet) with createBaffles, merge or duplicate points with mergeOrSplitBaffles.

[cwang5]

Hi guys, thanks for all the replys. I went through the tutorials for icoFoam and turbFoam with the baffle as a rigid wall, and I am trying to set the flap as a free-moving plate using the icoDymFoam. I ran into a few questions, though, and would like to have your inputs. The biggest problem I have now is that I have no clue how to set the flap motion so that it only moves about the hinge/axis of rotation, I have read the post about the code that combining turbulent and rigid body mechanics, but they did not mention what the input file should be like. Thanks in advance for the helps.

p.s. I used the splitMesh command for the creation of baffles, it should be fine, right?