Particle Tracing in a 2-D Fluid-Structure Interaction Problem

The animation shows particle tracing in a 2-D fluid-structure interaction problem. A periodic normal traction load is applied to the left boundary of the model. This load forces the fluid to flow over the flexible structure. Since the load is periodic, the fluid- structure analysis is unsteady (transient).

Particle injectors are placed upstream of the structure. Particles are emitted at a fixed rate from the injectors. Each particle's position is updated using the instantaneous velocity at the current particle position.

The particle traces clearly show the recirculation caused by the presence of the structure. The particle traces also show how the flow field is affected by the structural motions.