[Madeleine P. Vincent]

Hi all,

I am starting an aero-elastic study and I would like to use OpenFOAM. I am wondering if my approach sounds correct.

The problem is a tall, flexible structure (30m pole) that vibrates in the wind due to vortex shedding.

I am planning on modeling the air as incompressible, using either RAS or LES turbulence (to be determined), so the solver would be pisoFoam.

The fluid mesh movement would be handled using the OpenFOAM tools and moveDyanmicMesh module.

I am using a 3rd party structural FEM code. The pressures would be applied to the structure by a coupling code (to be written by myself).

Does this approach sound like I am using the correct tool set? Are there better options or configurations or recommendations you might have?

Thanks for your help,
Maddy.

[deepsterblue]

I'm pretty sure this has been done before. Take a look here:

www.personal.psu.edu/rlc138/robCampbell_thesis.pdf