Fluid-structure interaction simulation of three-dimensional flexible hydrofoil in water tunnel

The closely coupled approach combined with the finite volume method (FVM) solver and the finite element method (FEM) solver is used to investigate the fluid-structure interaction (FSI) of a three-dimensional cantilevered hydrofoil in the water tunnel. The FVM solver and the coupled approach are verified and validated by comparing the numerical predictions with the experimental measurements, and good agreement is obtained concerning both the lift on the foil and the tip displacement. In the noncavitating flow, the result indicates that the growth of the initial incidence angle and the Reynolds number improves the deformation of the foil, and the lift on the foil is increased by the twist deformation. The normalized twist angle and displacement along the span of the hydrofoil for different incidence angles and Reynolds numbers are almost uniform. For the cavitation flow, it is shown that the small amplitude vibration of the foil has limited influence on the developing process of the partial cavity, and the quasi two-dimensional cavity shedding does not change the deformation mode of the hydrofoil. However, the frequency spectrum of the lift on the foil contains the frequency which is associated with the first bend frequency of the hydrofoil.