Transonic Wing Flutter Analysis Using

Simcenter STAR-CCM+ and Simcenter

Nastran Co-Simulation
Date: 09/17/2023

Speakers:
• Host: Adam Green, ATA Engineering, Inc.
• Chris Ostoich, ATA Engineering, Inc.

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 Simcenter STAR-CCM+
Fluid-Structure Interaction (FSI)
Technology Spotlight | Last updated version: 2210*

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Overview:
Fluid-Structure Interaction (FSI)

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Fluid-Structure Interaction Applications

Oil & Gas Ground Chemical Processing

• Riser VIV and FIV Transportation • Mixing Tanks
• Pigging • Fuel Sloshing
• Shock Absorber

Aerospace & Energy

Defense
FSI • Wind Turbines
• Turbomachines
• Aeroelasticity
• Wing Flutter

Nuclear Life Science Marine & Offshore

• Rod Bundles • Stents • Slamming
• Heart Valves • Free Falling Lifeboats

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FSI in Simcenter STAR-CCM+

Spotlight on FSI
Wide Application Coverage
• Partitioned FSI using best-in-class discretization methods
Accurate • Accurate, robust and efficient methods to map surface data
• Range of methods for displacement of the fluid mesh
Robust • Solution stabilization of the coupled system
• Modelling deformable structures attached to rigid 6-DOF
bodies
Efficient
• Providing engineering insight through data analysis

Provide Engineering Insight • Collaborate by exchanging data between toolsets

Supporting Collaboration

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Modeling FSI in Simcenter STAR-CCM+

Partitioned FSI using best-in-class discretization methods

• Finite Volume (Eulerian frame) is the most successful,

versatile and best established discretization method in
Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD)

• Finite Element (Lagrangian frame) is equally successful,

versatile and established for structural mechanics

• Simcenter STAR-CCM+ combines both methods to offer Lagrange Frame (FE) & Euler Frame (FV)
the most comprehensive solution for partitioned FSI

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Modeling FSI in Simcenter STAR-CCM+

Accurate, robust and efficient methods to map surface data

• Communication between fluid and structural models

relies on mapping field values between the meshes

• The fluid-structure interface topology is non-conformal

• Simcenter STAR-CCM+ offers data mappers with state-

of-the-art interpolation methods

• Structure to fluid: Nearest neighbor, shape functions

and least squares

• Fluid to structure: Nearest neighbor, least squares,

exact imprint and approximate imprint

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Modeling FSI in Simcenter STAR-CCM+

Range of methods for displacement of the fluid mesh

• Displacement at the fluid-structure interface is computed

by the structural model, however the fluid domain must
be deformed accordingly
• This displacement may be a combination of both rigid
body motion and deformation
• Simcenter STAR-CCM+ offers:
• Radial Basis Function (RBF) based morpher
• B-Spline based morpher
• Overset mesh motion (chimera mesh)
• There is no need for time consuming remeshing of the
fluid domain no matter how large the rigid body motion

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Modeling FSI in Simcenter STAR-CCM+

Solution stabilization of the coupled system

• Pressure at the fluid-structure interface is computed by

the fluid model, mapped to the structural model and
applied as a pressure load

• Simcenter STAR-CCM+ offers:

• Explicit coupling of the models (data exchange occurs

once every x units of time)

• Iterative coupling of the models (data exchange occurs

multiple times per time step)

• For iterative coupling, solution stabilization methods

are available including added mass pre-conditioning
and displacement under-relaxation

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Modeling FSI in Simcenter STAR-CCM+

Modelling deformable structures attached to rigid 6-DOF bodies

• For many FSI applications the structural displacement is

a combination of rigid body motion and deformation

• Simcenter STAR-CCM+ is able to perform FSI simulation

with objects which are undergoing rigid body motion
(either prescribed or computed)

• For example - deformation of propeller spinning at

fixed RPM on a moving boat

• The structural model computes only the deformation, with

rigid body motion being handled by a 6-DOF solver

• As deformations are typically small, there is no need for

large displacement theory (non-linear geometry)

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Modeling FSI in Simcenter STAR-CCM+

Collaborate by exchanging data between toolsets

• Although Simcenter STAR-CCM+ can perform all-in-one Heat Transfer

fluid and structural analysis, for some classes of FSI
simulation it is desirable to perform the two studies
separately
Fluid velocity Temperature
• In large organizations, the ability to exchange data
between different toolsets is a key enabler for (heat transfer model)
collaborative design

• Simcenter STAR-CCM+ can read a range of 3rd party File

formats, making it possible to import meshes and fields Thermal Stress
• The imported fields can be mapped from the imported
mesh to the internal mesh for subsequent usage

• Simcenter STAR-CCM+ can also export mesh and field

data in various formats
Temperature Stresses
(stress model)
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Summary

• Predict and understand fluid-structure interaction

• Explore many design variants early in development

Wide Application Coverage Simcenter STAR-CCM+

• Best in class discretization techniques for flow and

Accurate
structural models

Robust • A versatile partitioned FE-FV approach for any application

• Accurate data mappers, flexible data exchange protocols
Efficient and efficient mesh deformation models
• Efficient solution procedures for 1-way, weak 2-way or even
Provide Engineering Insight strong 2-way coupled applications
• Integrated post processing and support for various model
Supporting Collaboration and solution data formats

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Modelling 1-Way Coupled Physics

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Example: 1-way coupled fluid to structure

• The assumption behind 1-way coupling fluid to

structure is: The fluid flow is not affected by
deformations of the structure
• The accuracy of this approximation depends on the
application and engineering question
• Fluid and structure can be solved in sequence
• No coupling stability problems and no fluid mesh
deformation (morphing) required
• The results from one single flow simulation are
sufficient to analyze any structural design, as long
as the wet surface doesn’t change (change of
material, mounting, material fiber orientation,
Additional information can be found in this blog:
internal stiffeners…) CFD-FEA coupling in Simcenter – lowering pressure and
stress

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Example: 1-way coupled structure to fluid

• The assumption behind 1-way coupling structure to

fluid is: The structure is not affected by the fluid flow
• The accuracy of this approximation depends on the
application and engineering question
• Fluid and structure can be solved in sequence
• No coupling stability problems
• The results from one single structure simulation are
sufficient to analyze any set of fluid flow boundary
conditions (change of flow velocity, pressure
difference…)

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1-way coupled models

Pros and Cons Solution Strategy

Whenever the engineering question allows it the
application should be setup as a 1-way coupled Record Replay
model using files for the data exchange

Pros:
• Low computational costs
Compute the independent solution, record solution
• Straight forward, no stability problems
data to a file, replay the recorded solution data as
• Suitable for design space exploration boundary condition
Recording the solution data makes it possible to study
Cons: variations of the dependent model without having to
• Only accurate if the assumption of 1-way coupled solve the independent model again
physics is valid for the given application and
engineering question

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Heat transfer and thermal stress
Exhaust Manifold

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Heat transfer and thermal stress
Exhaust Manifold Continued

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Key Enablers

Conjugate fluid-solid heat transfer using

• Finite volumes for the fluid
• Finite elements for the solid
Thermal stress using finite elements
Only one single mesh for the solid

Export & import of meshes and fields via CGNS files through
links in the simulation tree
Storing the temperature enables minor modifications of the
stress model without having to repeat the heat transfer
simulation
Convenient workflow & traceability of data
Data exchange with other CAE tools

https://cgns.github.io/

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Simcenter STAR-CCM+ Finite Element Solid Stress
and Finite Element Solid Energy Capability Sheet

Material Laws Linear-elastic & elastic-plastic (isotropic, orthotropic, anisotropic), hyperelastic (isotropic)
Solvers Direct & iterative (iterative for Finite Element Solid Energy only)
Solution Static (steady), dynamic (transient), linear geometry, non-linear geometry
Elements 3D continuum elements only, hex, tet, wedge, pyramid, 1st & 2nd order
On point, line & surface segments: Force, pressure, traction, displacement
Mechanical
On boundaries (surface): Symmetry
BCs
On regions (volume): Body load & body load derivative
On boundaries (surface): Adiabatic, Heat Flux, Heat Source, Temperature, Convection
Thermal BCs
On regions (volume): Volumetric Heat Source, Total Heat Source, Specific Heat Source
Interfaces Conformal and non-conformal (surface to surface and node to surface formulation)
Supports the concept of Simcenter STAR-CCM+ motions including DFBI / 6DOF. Frictionless
Comments
contact of an elastic body with a rigid tessellated geometry part is available starting 2022.1

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Frictionless contact with a moving rigid and infinite plane

Available as tutorial: Tutorials > Solid Stress > FSI with Opening and Closing Flow Paths: Diaphragm Valve

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Modelling 2-Way Coupled Physics

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Strong and weak 2-way coupled physics

Weak 2-way coupled physics

Fluid: Low density and compressible (gases)
Structure: Heavy and stiff
Ratio of fluid density to solid density: << 1
Example: Aeroelasticity

Strong 2-way coupled physics

Fluid: High density and incompressible (liquids)
Structure: Light and flexible
Ratio of fluid density to solid density: ~ 1
Example: Hydroelasticity

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2-way coupled models

Pros and Cons Solution Strategy

An application should only be modeled as 2-way
coupled if the physics and the engineering question
requires two way coupling. A multi-physics single
simulation or co-simulation is most suitable.

Pros: Both physics must be solved at the same time

• Always valid, no simplification or assumption
Solution data must be exchanged with a high
frequency
Cons:
The data should be exchanged in memory and not via
• High computational costs
files (superior speed)
• Challenging
Multi-physics single simulation or co-simulation

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Capability Chart 2-Way FSI

Last updated for: 2022.1 Single Simulation Co-Simulation Co-Simulation

Structure Model Simcenter STAR-CCM+ Simcenter Nastran Abaqus
Coupling Implicit Explicit Explicit & implicit
Preconditioner, Anderson Acceleration,
Solution Stabilization None
displacement relaxation displacement relaxation
Coupled physics Weak to very strong Weak only Weak to very strong
Save and restart Fully supported Not supported Partially supported
3D continuum, shells, 3D continuum, shells,
Elements 3D continuum
beams* beams*
Additional Licenses None Simcenter Nastran Abaqus
Hyperelasticity, some No hyperelasticity, Hyperelasticity,
Comments
mechanical contact mechanical contact mechanical contact
One license & tool, ease
Advantage Possible to couple to an existing structure model
of use, tight coupling

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This document contains ATA Engineering or client trade secret, confidential, and/or proprietary information.
Any unauthorized release of this information is prohibited.

Transonic Wing Flutter Analysis Using

Simcenter STAR-CCM+ and Simcenter
Nastran Co-Simulation
Prepared by: Chris Ostoich, ATA Engineering

Date: 09/13/2023

San Diego • Los Angeles • Berkeley • Albuquerque • Denver • Huntsville • Washington D.C.
ata-engineering @ATAEngineering (858) 480-2000 www.ata-e.com
 Wing Flutter Can Have Catastrophic Consequences
• F-117A fell apart during
a 1997 airshow due to
fluttering wing and
missing fasteners
• Pilot ejected moments
before impact, but loss
of asset and nearby
property

ATA and/or CLIENT PROPRIETARY 33

Aeroelasticity Investigated in Previous Webinar
• “Understanding Aircraft Flutter and � 𝑘𝑘 e𝑠𝑠𝑘𝑘𝑡𝑡 𝑠𝑠 = 𝜎𝜎 ± 𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖
𝒖𝒖 𝑡𝑡 = 𝒖𝒖
Predicting It with Simcenter 3D and
Static Dynamic
Nastran” by Dr. Anthony Ricciardi 𝜔𝜔 = 0 𝜔𝜔 > 0
• Can be found on our YouTube page Stable
𝜎𝜎 < 0

Neutrally
Stable
𝜎𝜎 = 0

Unstable
𝜎𝜎 > 0
General Terms: Static Instability Dynamic Instability
Aeroelasticity Terms: Divergence Flutter

ATA and/or CLIENT PROPRIETARY 34

2D Demonstration of Flutter Boundary: Particular Modes are
Unstable Above a Certain Velocity
1
]

0.8
/

0.6
Frequency [

0.4

0.2

0
0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3
Velocity [U/(b )]
)]

0
/(

-0.2
Growth Rate [

-0.4
Mode 1
Mode 2

-0.6
0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3
Velocity [U/(b )]

ATA and/or CLIENT PROPRIETARY 35

 Demonstrated Flutter Prediction on 3D Wing in Simcenter3D

1
/ ]
Frequency [

0.5

0
0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3
Velocity [U/(b )]
)]

0
/(

-0.2
p Method
Growth Rate [

Mode 1
Mode 2 p Method
-0.4 Mode 1 pk Method
Mode 2 pk Method

-0.6
0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3
Velocity [U/(b )]

ATA and/or CLIENT PROPRIETARY 36

Flutter Onset Prediction with STAR-CCM+/NASTRAN Co-Simulation

ATA and/or CLIENT PROPRIETARY 37

STAR-CCM+/NASTRAN Co-Simulation of Wing Flutter

STAR-CCM+ calculates time-accurate fluid NASTRAN calculates time-accurate structural

solution on a finite volume grid response on finite element model

𝜏𝜏⃗ P

𝑥𝑥⃗

ATA and/or CLIENT PROPRIETARY 38

Fluid and Solid Models
STAR-CCM+ Fluid Model NASTRAN Structural Model
• Implict unsteady time advancement • NASTRAN SOL 401
• 364k polyhedral and prismatic finite • Multi-step non-linear structural dynamics
volume cells Symmetry
• Skin: 8190 PSHELL elements
• Coupled solver of • Spars: 936 PSHELL elements
RANS equations • Ribs: 1133 PSHELL elements Fixed
• 𝑘𝑘 − 𝜔𝜔 turbulence • Material: Al 6061
model
• Ideal gas
Coupled surface

Free stream

ATA and/or CLIENT PROPRIETARY 39

Capability Chart 2-Way FSI

Last updated for: 2021.1 Single Simulation Co-Simulation Co-Simulation

Structure Model Simcenter STAR-CCM+ Simcenter Nastran Abaqus
Coupling Implicit Explicit Explicit & implicit
Preconditioner, relaxation Relaxation of applied
Solution Stabilization None
of applied displacement displacement
Coupled physics Weak, strong, very strong Weak only Weak & strong
Save and restart Fully supported Not supported Partially supported
3D continuum, shells, 3D continuum, shells,
Elements 3D continuum
beams* beams*
Additional Licenses None Simcenter Nastran Abaqus
Hyperelasticity, limited No hyperelasticity, Hyperelasticity, mechanical
Comments
mechanical contact mechanical contact contact
One license & tool, ease of
Advantage Possible to couple to an existing structure model
use, tight coupling

ATA and/or CLIENT PROPRIETARY 40

Weak vs. Strong Coupling
• Weak coupling: data exchange Weak Coupling
happens once per timestep
• Strong coupling: data
exchange happens at
subiterations
• ATA paper* found that weak
coupling was slow to converge
[𝒪𝒪(∆𝑡𝑡)] and falsely predicted Strong Coupling
instability at large timesteps
*Development, Verification, and Validation of a
Fluid-Structure Interaction Capability and
Evaluation of Temporal Coupling Strategies
(Blades, E.L., and Cornish., A., AIAA-2017-
0870)

ATA and/or CLIENT PROPRIETARY 41

FSI Simulation Step 1: Generate
Initial Condition
• In reality, wing would respond to flow speed
ramp as the vehicle accelerated to cruise
• Simulation of ramp process time-cosuming
and not important to current effort
• Start simulation mid-flight
• Options for fluid initial condition
1. Guess at cruise flow field and implement
through field function
2. Generate accurate flow field in steady-state
STAR-CCM+ simulation over rigid wing geometry
and export to table
• Steady-state simulation run until drag and lift
converged

ATA and/or CLIENT PROPRIETARY 42

FSI Simulation Step 2:
Prepare Cosimulation
Input Files
• Create directory structure to
keep simulation files
organized
• Create structural model in
Simcenter3D directory
• Export input file (.dat) to
NASTRAN director
• Create flow model
and run co-simulation
from STAR-CCM+
directory

ATA and/or CLIENT PROPRIETARY 43

Step 3: Prepare FEM for Co-Simulation
After creation of FEM…
1. Create a new solution
• Select SOL 401 STAR-CCM+ Co-simulation
2. Specify a Dynamic Solution Step
• Create Output Request to extract displacement data
3. Specify time discretization
• End time = 5 s with 5000 increments  dt=1 ms
• Note: this must be consistent with fluid timestep
4. Create Co-simulation Region simulation object
• Select wing skin surfaces in to define region

ATA and/or CLIENT PROPRIETARY 44

Step 4: Model Selection in STAR-CCM+ for
Co-Simulation
1. In fluid physics continuum, enable NASTRAN Co-Simulation
• Select Co-Simulation, Simcenter Nastran, and Co-Simulation
Mechanical Treatment
2. Create separate External Continuum physics model and
select Simcenter Nastran
• All other required models are autoselected
3. Create additional solid region to
represent NASTRAN solution
• Select the External Continuum
physics model and specify type
as Solid Region

ATA and/or CLIENT PROPRIETARY 45

Step 5: Create External Link to NASTRAN in STAR-CCM+
Keep defaults
• When Co-simulation models selected, Specify data transter
External Links node added to tree - Outgoing: Pressure, Shear
- Incoming: Displacement
• External Links specifies connection to
NASTRAN Model - Launch Partner Option:
• Any interacting fluid boundaries need to Launch Application
- Concurrency: Lag
point to Link 1: Zone 1 (NASTRAN leads)
- Mapping Option: Map
Both Directions (STAR
does interpolation)

- SimcenterMP Option: --wallshear on

- Simcenter Nastran Executable: path to
nastran.exe
- Simcenter Nastran Input File: path to
.dat file (../NASTRAN/[filename].dat)
ATA and/or CLIENT PROPRIETARY 46
STAR-CCM+/NASTRAN Co-Simulation of
Flutter Onset
• Previous aeroelastic study suggested following inputs
slightly unstable
• Mach = 0.8
• Density = 0.38 kg/m3
• Velocity = 124 m/s
• Note that these are not realistic parameters and were
contrived for demonstration
• Monitor set up to report wing tip displacement
125 m/s
• Displacement growth  Unstable
• Displacement decay  Stable
• Scenes created to visualize Mach number, wing
pressure, mesh deformation, and vortex shedding

ATA and/or CLIENT PROPRIETARY 47

Wing Flutters as Expected
• Wing tip oscillates at ~ 8.5 Hz
• Wing tip displacement growth over time
indicates instability
• Coupling between wing motion and flow
field evident in symmetry plane Mach
number
• Transonic shock oscillates fore and aft
on fluttering wing

ATA and/or CLIENT PROPRIETARY 48

STAR-CCM+ is a Powerful Mesher,
Physics Engine, and Post Processor All
in One
• Automated mesher generates high-quality
computational grids with minimal user input
• Mesh morpher handles large deformations
resulting from moving boundaries in FSI
applications
• Comprehensive post processing capabilities
allow analysts to deeply interrogate complex
flow solutions

ATA and/or CLIENT PROPRIETARY 49

Summary
• STAR-CCM+ and NASTRAN can operate in a Co-simulation to predict the FSI
between a fluid and non-linear structural models
• While FSI can be done completely within STAR-CCM+, NASTRAN structural models
allow use of advanced finite element analysis approaches
• STAR-CCM+/NASTRAN Co-simulations currently have only weak coupling available
and therefore may not be the recommended choice for highly-coupled problems like
wing flutter
• Strong coupling is provided in STAR-CCM+ FSI simulations, but can only use 3D
continuum finite elements

ATA and/or CLIENT PROPRIETARY 50

 Contact Us

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San Diego, CA 92128

(858) 480-2000

[email protected]

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@ATAEngineering

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