SPH accuracy improvement through the combination of a quasi-Lagrangian shifting transport velocity and consistent ALE formalisms

This paper addresses the accuracy of the weakly-compressible SPH method. Interpolation defects due to the presence of anisotropic particle structures inherent to the Lagrangian character of the Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) method are highlighted. To avoid the appearance of these structures which are detrimental to the quality of the simulations, a specific transport velocity is introduced and its inclusion within an Arbitrary Lagrangian Eulerian (ALE) formalism is described. Unlike most of existing particle disordering/shifting methods, this formalism avoids the formation of these anisotropic structures while a full consistency with the original Euler or Navier-Stokes equations is maintained. The gain in accuracy, convergence and numerical diffusion of this formalism is shown and discussed through its application to various challenging test cases. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.