The Farhat Research Group is a Stanford lab that develops mathematical models, algorithms, and software to aid in the design and analysis of complex engineering systems. I participated in the Army High Performance Computing Research Center Summer Institute and spent the summer working as a member of the lab. My project was to design an algorithm that would automatically generate meshes for embedded boundary simulations when given an input airfoil. Embedded boundary meshes are useful for simulating objects that change shape during flight, such as flapping wing micro aerial vehicles.
Farhat Research Group
Research Intern | June 2016 - August 2016
I created the algorithm in MATLAB focusing on striking a balance between accuracy and time-efficiency. The algorithm started with a coarse mesh which it then refined anisotropically, splitting elements in a direction parallel to the given airfoil's boundary layer, in order to increase simulation resolution where it was needed most. The algorithm then resolved discrepancies created by adjacent elements of different sizes to create a conforming, tetrahedral mesh.
To validate my algorithm, I exported its meshes to ANSYS ICEM CFD and then used them to run simulations on the Farhat Group's computer cluster. I then performed similar tests using meshes that were custom-built for their respective airfoils and compared the results to find areas for improvement in the algorithm's design. The graph below compares pressure values along a line between a custom-made mesh (Reference), an earlier algorithm iteration (Mesh1), and a later iteration (Mesh2).
Mesh generated by algorithm for NACA 0012 airfoil
Zoomed in section of mesh
Pressure graph along x=.25 line for airfoil
Velocity profile of airfoil