Using the generalized interpolation material point method for fluid-solid interactions induced by surface tension

Abstract

This thesis is devoted to the development of new, Generalized Interpolation Material Point Method (GIMP)-based algorithms for handling surface tension and contact (wetting) in fluid-solid interaction (FSI) problems at small scales. In these problems, surface tension becomes so dominant that its influence on both fluids and solids must be considered. Since analytical solutions for most engineering problems are usually unavailable, numerical methods are needed to describe and predict complicated time-dependent states in the solid and fluid involved due to surface tension effects. Traditional computational methods for handling fluid-solid interactions may not be effective due to their weakness in solving large-deformation problems and the complicated coupling of two different types of computational frameworks: one for solid, and the other for fluid. On the contrary, GIMP, a mesh-free algorithm for solid mechanics problems, is numerically effective in handling problems involving large deformations and fracture. Here we extend the capability of GIMP to handle fluid dynamics problems with surface tension, and to develop a new contact algorithm to deal with the wetting boundary conditions that include the modeling of contact angle and slip near the triple points where the three phases -- fluid, solid, and vapor -- meet. The error of the new GIMP algorithm for FSI problems at small scales, as verified by various benchmark problems, generally falls within the 5% range. In this thesis, we have successfully extended the capability of GIMP for handling FSI problems under surface tension in a one-solver numerical framework, a unique and innovative approach.