SPH modeling of fluid-solid interaction for dynamic failure analysis of fluid-filled thin shells

Overview & Synopsis

This work concerns the prediction of failure of a fluid-filled tank under impact loading, including the resulting fluid leakage. A water-filled steel cylinder associated with a piston is impacted by a mass falling at a prescribed velocity. The cylinder is closed at its base by an aluminum plate whose characteristics are allowed to vary. The impact on the piston creates a pressure wave in the fluid which is responsible for the deformation of the plate and, possibly, the propagation of cracks. The structural part of the problem is modeled using Mindlin-Reissner Finite Elements (FE) and Smoothed Particles Hydrodynamics (SPH) shells. The modeling of the fluid is also based on an SPH formulation. The problem involves significant Fluid-Structure Interactions (FSI) which are handled through a master-slave-based method and the pinballs method. Numerical results are compared to experimental data.