Created in COMSOL Multiphysics 6.

Fluid–Structure Interaction on a Sports Car Door

This model is licensed under the COMSOL Software License Agreement 6.1.
All trademarks are the property of their respective owners. See www.comsol.com/trademarks.
Introduction
While a CFD analysis can give the car designer important input for drag coefficients and
turbulence around the car panels, a fluid–structure-interaction (FSI) analysis provides
insights into how the fluid forces interact with the body, thereby generating vibrations that
result in noise inside the car and potentially cause fatigue problems.

In this model, we perform a structural analysis of the front door of a sports car traveling
at a speed of 180 km/h. The forces from a transient Large Eddy Simulation (LES) model
are transformed to the frequency domain using the Fast Fourier Transform (FFT). A
structural analysis of the door and side mirror is performed in the frequency domain to
study the Fourier components of the forcing and the resulting vibrational modes of the car
door. The door geometry is simplified compared to a real door of a sports car, but the
focus in this model is to demonstrate a method for applying the loads from a CFD-LES
analysis in the time domain to a structural-mechanics analysis in the frequency domain.

2 | FLUID–STRUCTURE INTERACTION ON A SPORTS CAR DOOR

Model Definition
This model is based on the model Large Eddy Simulation of a Sports Car, also in the CFD
Module Application Library. A boundary (shell) based geometry is added in a separate
component.

Figure 1: Car-door geometry with applied loads at 50 Hz. The highest magnitude is in the
area around the side mirror attachment.

The forces are added directly from the LES solution of the complete car. Since the car door
coordinates are the same in both components, no coordinate transformation of the forces
is needed. The forces are mapped from one component to the other using an extrusion
coupling operator. This reduces the size of the mesh and makes the simulation leaner and
more efficient. The mapped time-dependent forces are transformed to the frequency
domain using a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT).

Results and Discussion

Figure 2 shows the integrated total fluid force on the window and side mirror as a function
of frequency. It is clear that the forces on both window and mirror are largest at the low
end of the frequency range, which results in a rumbling sound and possibly leads to fatigue
problems if care is not taken in the design.

3 | FLUID–STRUCTURE INTERACTION ON A SPORTS CAR DOOR

Figure 2: Integrated total force magnitude on the window and side mirror as a function of
frequency.

Figure 3 shows the von Mises stress on the door surface at 50 Hz. There is a concentration
of stress at the attachment of the side mirror. This indicates that the area may need
reinforcement.

4 | FLUID–STRUCTURE INTERACTION ON A SPORTS CAR DOOR

Figure 3: von Mises stress at the surface of the car door at 50 Hz. Notice the stress concentration
around the area where the side mirror is attached to the door.

Figure 4 and Figure 5 show the displacement field on the inside door panel at 50 Hz and
the large displacement of the mirror at 70 Hz, respectively. Note that the displacement is
exaggerated for visual reasons. The real deformation is in the range of millimeters at these
frequencies.

5 | FLUID–STRUCTURE INTERACTION ON A SPORTS CAR DOOR

Figure 4: Displacement field on the inner side of the door at 50 Hz. The rather large
displacement might be due to a resonance in the panels.

6 | FLUID–STRUCTURE INTERACTION ON A SPORTS CAR DOOR

Figure 5: Displacement of the side mirror and outer side of the car door at 70 Hz, which is
close to the peak in window forces as shown in Figure 2.

Application Library path: CFD_Module/Fluid-Structure_Interaction/

sports_car_fsi

Modeling Instructions

APPLICATION LIBRARIES
1 From the File menu, choose Application Libraries.
2 In the Application Libraries window, select CFD Module>Single-Phase Flow>sports_car in
the tree.
3 Click Open.

COMPONENT 1 (COMP1)
In the Model Builder window, expand the Component 1 (comp1) node.

7 | FLUID–STRUCTURE INTERACTION ON A SPORTS CAR DOOR

DEFINITIONS
This model is based on the precomputed solution from the Sports Car model. The door
geometry in that model consists only of the external surfaces. A more realistic car door
geometry is imported in this model, and the forces from the Sports Car model are mapped
to the new geometry by the use of an extrusion coupling operator. The extrusion operator
is added in the following steps.

General Extrusion 1 (genext1)

1 In the Model Builder window, expand the Component 1 (comp1)>Definitions node.
2 Right-click Definitions and choose Nonlocal Couplings>General Extrusion.
3 Clear all domains.
4 In the Settings window for General Extrusion, locate the Source Selection section.
5 From the Geometric entity level list, choose Boundary.
6 Select Boundaries 101, 103–105, 111–116, 123, 127, 128, 131, 132, 135, 137, 139,
141, 143, 145, 147, 149–151, 155, 157–160, 165, 167, 170, 172, 174, 175, and 179
only.

7 Click to expand the Advanced section. From the Mesh search method list, choose
Closest point.

8 | FLUID–STRUCTURE INTERACTION ON A SPORTS CAR DOOR

ADD COMPONENT
In the Model Builder window, right-click the root node and choose Add Component>3D.

GEOMETRY 2
1 In the Settings window for Geometry, locate the Advanced section.
2 From the Geometry representation list, choose CAD kernel.

Add the car door geometry from an imported CAD file.

Import 1 (imp1)
1 In the Home toolbar, click Import.
2 In the Settings window for Import, locate the Import section.
3 Click Browse.
4 Browse to the model’s Application Libraries folder and double-click the file
sports_car_fsi.mphbin.

5 Click Build All Objects.

Form Union (fin)

1 In the Model Builder window, click Form Union (fin).
2 In the Settings window for Form Union/Assembly, click Build Selected.

9 | FLUID–STRUCTURE INTERACTION ON A SPORTS CAR DOOR

MATERIALS
In the Home toolbar, click Windows and choose Add Material from Library.

ADD MATERIAL
1 Go to the Add Material window.
2 In the tree, select Built-in>Aluminum 3003-H18.
3 Click Add to Component in the window toolbar.
4 In the tree, select Built-in>Glass (quartz).
5 Click Add to Component in the window toolbar.
6 In the Home toolbar, click Add Material to close the Add Material window.

MATERIALS

Glass (quartz) (mat3)

Select Boundary 1 only.

To make the model slightly more efficient, it is convenient to map the surface stresses from
the fluid flow simulation onto a set of new variables. The following steps add new variables
for the fluid forces exerted on the wall, assuming that automatic wall treatment is used in
the LES-model. Then, a weak form equation is added and solved for the extruded stresses
on the car door. The time dependent stresses are Fourier transformed so that the following
structural mechanics simulations can be performed in the frequency domain.

DEFINITIONS (COMP1)

Variables 1
1 In the Model Builder window, expand the Component 1 (comp1)>Materials node, then
click Component 1 (comp1)>Definitions>Variables 1.
2 In the Settings window for Variables, locate the Variables section.
3 In the table, enter the following settings:

Name Expression Unit Description

Tstress_x p*spf.nxmesh+spf.rho* Pa
spf.u_tau^2*spf.Utx/
sqrt(spf.Utx^2+spf.Uty^2+
spf.Utz^2+eps)

10 | FLUID–STRUCTURE INTERACTION ON A SPORTS CAR DOOR

Name Expression Unit Description
Tstress_y p*spf.nymesh+spf.rho* Pa
spf.u_tau^2*spf.Uty/
sqrt(spf.Utx^2+spf.Uty^2+
spf.Utz^2+eps)
Tstress_z p*spf.nzmesh+spf.rho* Pa
spf.u_tau^2*spf.Utz/
sqrt(spf.Utx^2+spf.Uty^2+
spf.Utz^2+eps)

COMPONENT 2 (COMP2)
1 In the Model Builder window, click Component 2 (comp2).
2 In the Home toolbar, click Windows and choose Add Physics.

ADD PHYSICS
1 Go to the Add Physics window.
2 In the tree, select Mathematics>PDE Interfaces>Lower Dimensions>
Weak Form Boundary PDE (wb).
3 Find the Physics interfaces in study subsection. In the table, clear the Solve check boxes
for Study 1, Study 2, and Study 3.
4 Click Add to Component 2 in the window toolbar.
5 In the Home toolbar, click Add Physics to close the Add Physics window.

WEAK FORM BOUNDARY PDE (WB)

1 In the Settings window for Weak Form Boundary PDE, locate the Boundary Selection
section.
2 Click Clear Selection.
3 Click the Wireframe Rendering button in the Graphics toolbar.

11 | FLUID–STRUCTURE INTERACTION ON A SPORTS CAR DOOR

4 Select Boundaries 1–6, 8, 9, 11, 14, 48–53, 55, 58–64, 67–72, 85–87, 92, 93, 97–104,
109–111, 131, and 155 only.

5 Locate the Units section. Click Define Dependent Variable Unit.

6 In the Dependent variable quantity table, enter the following settings:

Dependent variable quantity Unit

Custom unit Pa

7 In the Source term quantity table, enter the following settings:

Source term quantity Unit

Custom unit Pa/m^-2

8 Click to expand the Discretization section. From the Element order list, choose Linear.
9 Click to expand the Dependent Variables section. In the Field name text field, type
Tstress.

10 In the Number of dependent variables text field, type 3.

11 In the Dependent variables table, enter the following settings:

Tstress1

12 | FLUID–STRUCTURE INTERACTION ON A SPORTS CAR DOOR

Weak Form PDE 1
1 In the Model Builder window, under Component 2 (comp2)>
Weak Form Boundary PDE (wb) click Weak Form PDE 1.
2 In the Settings window for Weak Form PDE, locate the Weak Expressions section.
3 In the weak text-field array, type test(Tstress1)*(Tstress1-
comp1.genext1(comp1.Tstress_x)) on the first row.

4 In the weak text-field array, type test(Tstress2)*(Tstress2-

comp1.genext1(comp1.Tstress_y)) on the second row.
5 In the weak text-field array, type test(Tstress3)*(Tstress3-
comp1.genext1(comp1.Tstress_z)) on the third row.

ADD STUDY
1 In the Home toolbar, click Add Study to open the Add Study window.
2 Go to the Add Study window.
3 Find the Physics interfaces in study subsection. In the table, clear the Solve check boxes
for LES RBVM (spf), Laplace’s Equation (lpeq), and Turbulent Flow, k- 2 (spf2).
4 Find the Studies subsection. In the Select Study tree, select General Studies>
Time Dependent.
5 Click Add Study in the window toolbar.
6 In the Home toolbar, click Add Study to close the Add Study window.

STUDY 4

Step 1: Time Dependent

1 In the Settings window for Time Dependent, locate the Study Settings section.
2 In the Output times text field, type range(0.6,0.002,0.7).
3 Click to expand the Values of Dependent Variables section. Find the
Values of variables not solved for subsection. From the Settings list, choose
User controlled.
4 From the Method list, choose Solution.
5 From the Study list, choose Study 3, Time Dependent.
6 From the Time (s) list, choose From list.
7 In the Time (s) list, choose 0.6 s (2), 0.602 s, 0.604 s, 0.606 s, 0.608 s, 0.61 s, 0.612 s,
0.614 s, 0.616 s, 0.618 s, 0.62 s, 0.622 s, 0.624 s, 0.626 s, 0.628 s, 0.63 s, 0.632 s, 0.634 s,
0.636 s, 0.638 s, 0.64 s, 0.642 s, 0.644 s, 0.646 s, 0.648 s, 0.65 s, 0.652 s, 0.654 s, 0.656 s,

13 | FLUID–STRUCTURE INTERACTION ON A SPORTS CAR DOOR

 0.658 s, 0.66 s, 0.662 s, 0.664 s, 0.666 s, 0.668 s, 0.67 s, 0.672 s, 0.674 s, 0.676 s, 0.678 s,
0.68 s, 0.682 s, 0.684 s, 0.686 s, 0.688 s, 0.69 s, 0.692 s, 0.694 s, 0.696 s, 0.698 s, and 0.7 s.
8 In the Model Builder window, click Study 4.

Time to Frequency FFT

1 In the Study toolbar, click Study Steps and choose Frequency Domain>
Time to Frequency FFT.
2 In the Settings window for Time to Frequency FFT, locate the Study Settings section.
3 In the Start time text field, type 0.6.
4 In the End time text field, type 0.7.
5 In the Maximum output frequency text field, type 1400.
6 Locate the Physics and Variables Selection section. In the table, enter the following
settings:

Physics interface Solve for Equation form

LES RBVM (spf) Automatic (Time dependent)
Laplace’s Equation (lpeq) Automatic (Stationary)
Turbulent Flow, k- 2 (spf2) Automatic (Stationary)
Weak Form Boundary PDE (wb)  Automatic (Frequency domain)

7 Click to expand the Mesh Selection section. In the table, enter the following settings:

Component Mesh
Component 1 No mesh

Solution 4 (sol4)
1 In the Study toolbar, click Show Default Solver.
Modify the solver settings so that the time stepping is performed for the exact same
points in time as in the solution of the fluid dynamics simulation, and set the nonlinear
solver to take only one iteration per time step.
2 In the Model Builder window, expand the Solution 4 (sol4) node, then click Time-
Dependent Solver 1.
3 In the Settings window for Time-Dependent Solver, click to expand the Time Stepping
section.
4 From the Steps taken by solver list, choose Manual.
5 In the Time step text field, type .002.
6 Locate the General section. From the Times to store list, choose Steps taken by solver.

14 | FLUID–STRUCTURE INTERACTION ON A SPORTS CAR DOOR

7 In the Model Builder window, expand the Study 4>Solver Configurations>
Solution 4 (sol4)>Time-Dependent Solver 1 node, then click Fully Coupled 1.
8 In the Settings window for Fully Coupled, click to expand the Method and Termination
section.
9 From the Jacobian update list, choose Once per time step.
10 From the Termination technique list, choose Iterations.
11 In the Model Builder window, expand the Study 4>Solver Configurations>
Solution 4 (sol4)>Dependent Variables 1 node, then click
Turbulent dissipation rate (comp1.ep2).
12 In the Settings window for Field, locate the General section.
13 Clear the Store in output check box.
14 In the Model Builder window, under Study 4>Solver Configurations>Solution 4 (sol4)>
Dependent Variables 1 click Turbulent kinetic energy (comp1.k2).
15 In the Settings window for Field, locate the General section.
16 Clear the Store in output check box.
17 In the Model Builder window, under Study 4>Solver Configurations>Solution 4 (sol4)>
Dependent Variables 1 click Pressure (comp1.p).
18 In the Settings window for Field, locate the General section.
19 Clear the Store in output check box.
20 In the Model Builder window, under Study 4>Solver Configurations>Solution 4 (sol4)>
Dependent Variables 1 click Pressure (comp1.p2).
21 In the Settings window for Field, locate the General section.
22 Clear the Store in output check box.
23 In the Model Builder window, under Study 4>Solver Configurations>Solution 4 (sol4)>
Dependent Variables 1 click Velocity field (comp1.u).
24 In the Settings window for Field, locate the General section.
25 Clear the Store in output check box.
26 In the Model Builder window, under Study 4>Solver Configurations>Solution 4 (sol4)>
Dependent Variables 1 click Dependent variable u2 (comp1.u2).
27 In the Settings window for Field, locate the General section.
28 Clear the Store in output check box.
29 In the Model Builder window, under Study 4>Solver Configurations>Solution 4 (sol4)>
Dependent Variables 1 click Velocity field (comp1.u3).

15 | FLUID–STRUCTURE INTERACTION ON A SPORTS CAR DOOR

30 In the Settings window for Field, locate the General section.
31 Clear the Store in output check box.
32 In the Model Builder window, expand the Study 4>Solver Configurations>
Solution 4 (sol4)>Dependent Variables 2 node, then click
Turbulent dissipation rate (comp1.ep2).
33 In the Settings window for Field, locate the General section.
34 Clear the Store in output check box.
35 In the Model Builder window, under Study 4>Solver Configurations>Solution 4 (sol4)>
Dependent Variables 2 click Turbulent kinetic energy (comp1.k2).
36 Drag and drop below Turbulent dissipation rate (comp1.ep2).
37 In the Settings window for Field, locate the General section.
38 Clear the Store in output check box.
39 In the Model Builder window, under Study 4>Solver Configurations>Solution 4 (sol4)>
Dependent Variables 2 click Pressure (comp1.p).
40 In the Settings window for Field, locate the General section.
41 Clear the Store in output check box.
42 In the Model Builder window, under Study 4>Solver Configurations>Solution 4 (sol4)>
Dependent Variables 2 click Pressure (comp1.p2).
43 In the Settings window for Field, locate the General section.
44 Clear the Store in output check box.
45 In the Model Builder window, under Study 4>Solver Configurations>Solution 4 (sol4)>
Dependent Variables 2 click Velocity field (comp1.u).
46 In the Settings window for Field, locate the General section.
47 Clear the Store in output check box.
48 In the Model Builder window, under Study 4>Solver Configurations>Solution 4 (sol4)>
Dependent Variables 2 click Dependent variable u2 (comp1.u2).
49 In the Settings window for Field, locate the General section.
50 Clear the Store in output check box.
51 In the Model Builder window, under Study 4>Solver Configurations>Solution 4 (sol4)>
Dependent Variables 2 click Velocity field (comp1.u3).
52 In the Settings window for Field, locate the General section.
53 Clear the Store in output check box.

16 | FLUID–STRUCTURE INTERACTION ON A SPORTS CAR DOOR

Proceed to define the integration operators and variables needed to evaluate the norm of
the fluid forces on the window and mirror.

DEFINITIONS (COMP2)
In the Model Builder window, under Component 2 (comp2) click Definitions.

Integration 2 (intop2)
1 In the Definitions toolbar, click Nonlocal Couplings and choose Integration.
2 In the Settings window for Integration, locate the Source Selection section.
3 From the Geometric entity level list, choose Boundary.
4 Select Boundary 1 only.

Integration 3 (intop3)
1 In the Definitions toolbar, click Nonlocal Couplings and choose Integration.
2 In the Settings window for Integration, locate the Source Selection section.
3 From the Geometric entity level list, choose Boundary.
4 Select Boundaries 48–53, 55, 59–64, 67–72, 85–87, 92, 93, 97–104, and 109–111
only.

Variables 2
1 Right-click Definitions and choose Variables.
2 In the Settings window for Variables, locate the Variables section.
3 In the table, enter the following settings:

Name Expression Unit Description

T0s 0.1 Dimensionless
period
F_window sqrt(intop2(Tstress1)* N Norm of window
intop2(conj(Tstress1))+ force
intop2(Tstress2)*
intop2(conj(Tstress2))+
intop2(Tstress3)*
intop2(conj(Tstress3)))/T0s
F_mirror sqrt(intop3(Tstress1)* N Norm of mirror
intop3(conj(Tstress1))+ force
intop3(Tstress2)*
intop3(conj(Tstress2))+
intop3(Tstress3)*
intop3(conj(Tstress3)))/T0s

17 | FLUID–STRUCTURE INTERACTION ON A SPORTS CAR DOOR

Refine the mesh to have a better resolution that fits the needs of the structural mechanics
simulations.

MESH 3
1 In the Model Builder window, expand the Component 2 (comp2)>Mesh 3 node, then click
Mesh 3.
2 In the Settings window for Mesh, locate the Sequence Type section.
3 From the list, choose User-controlled mesh.

Size
1 In the Model Builder window, under Component 2 (comp2)>Mesh 3 click Size.
2 In the Settings window for Size, locate the Element Size section.
3 From the Calibrate for list, choose Fluid dynamics.
4 From the Predefined list, choose Fine.

Free Triangular 1
1 In the Model Builder window, click Free Triangular 1.
2 In the Settings window for Free Triangular, locate the Boundary Selection section.
3 From the Geometric entity level list, choose Entire geometry.
4 Click Build All.

STUDY 4
In the Home toolbar, click Compute.

RESULTS

1D Plot Group 13
1 In the Home toolbar, click Add Plot Group and choose 1D Plot Group.
2 In the Settings window for 1D Plot Group, locate the Data section.
3 From the Dataset list, choose Study 4/Solution 4 (5) (sol4).

Global 1
1 Right-click 1D Plot Group 13 and choose Global.
2 In the Settings window for Global, click Add Expression in the upper-right corner of the
y-Axis Data section. From the menu, choose Component 2 (comp2)>Definitions>
Variables>F_mirror - Norm of mirror force - N.

18 | FLUID–STRUCTURE INTERACTION ON A SPORTS CAR DOOR

3 Click Add Expression in the upper-right corner of the y-Axis Data section. From the
menu, choose Component 2 (comp2)>Definitions>Variables>F_window -
Norm of window force - N.
4 Click to expand the Legends section. In the 1D Plot Group 13 toolbar, click Plot.

Force on window and mirror

Select all frequencies except from the DC-component, 0 Hz.

1 In the Model Builder window, click 1D Plot Group 13.

2 In the Settings window for 1D Plot Group, locate the Data section.
3 From the Parameter selection (freq) list, choose From list.
4 In the Parameter values (freq (Hz)) list, choose 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100, 110,
120, 130, 140, 150, 160, 170, 180, 190, 200, 210, 220, 230, 240, 250, 260, 270, 280, 290,
300, 310, 320, 330, 340, 350, 360, 370, 380, 390, 400, 410, 420, 430, 440, 450, 460, 470,
480, 490, 500, 510, 520, 530, 540, 550, 560, 570, 580, 590, 600, 610, 620, 630, 640, 650,
660, 670, 680, 690, 700, 710, 720, 730, 740, 750, 760, 770, 780, 790, 800, 810, 820, 830,
840, 850, 860, 870, 880, 890, 900, 910, 920, 930, 940, 950, 960, 970, 980, 990, 1000, 1010,
1020, 1030, 1040, 1050, 1060, 1070, 1080, 1090, 1100, 1110, 1120, 1130, 1140, 1150, 1160,
1170, 1180, 1190, 1200, 1210, 1220, 1230, 1240, 1250, 1260, 1270, 1280, 1290, 1300, 1310,
1320, 1330, 1340, 1350, 1360, 1370, 1380, and 1390.
5 Locate the Plot Settings section.
6 Select the y-axis label check box. In the associated text field, type Total force (N).
7 In the 1D Plot Group 13 toolbar, click Plot.
8 Locate the Axis section. Select the x-axis log scale check box.
9 In the Label text field, type Force on window and mirror.

You can now clear the solution from Studies 1-3, to make the file size smaller. The results
needed for the structural mechanics analysis have already been mapped to new variables.

STUDY 3
In the Model Builder window, expand the Study 3 node.

Solution 3 (sol3)
1 In the Model Builder window, expand the Study 3>Solver Configurations node.
2 Right-click Solution 3 (sol3) and choose Clear.

STUDY 2
In the Model Builder window, expand the Study 2 node.

19 | FLUID–STRUCTURE INTERACTION ON A SPORTS CAR DOOR

Solver Configurations
In the Model Builder window, expand the Study 2>Solver Configurations node.

Solution 2 (sol2)
1 In the Model Builder window, expand the Study 2>Solver Configurations>Solution 2 (sol2)
node.
2 Right-click Solution 2 (sol2) and choose Clear.

STUDY 1
In the Model Builder window, expand the Study 1 node.

Solution 1 (sol1)
1 In the Model Builder window, expand the Study 1>Solver Configurations node.
2 Right-click Solution 1 (sol1) and choose Clear.

Look at the plot for the extruded force components to verify that the transform is working.

RESULTS

Weak Form Boundary PDE

1 In the Model Builder window, under Results click Weak Form Boundary PDE.
2 In the Settings window for 3D Plot Group, locate the Data section.
3 From the Parameter value (freq (Hz)) list, choose 60.
4 In the Weak Form Boundary PDE toolbar, click Plot.

Add a structural mechanics interface to the car door structure. The car door is modeled as
surfaces, thus, using a shell interface is convenient in this context. The shell is assumed to
be thin, relative to the size of the car door.

ADD PHYSICS
1 In the Home toolbar, click Add Physics to open the Add Physics window.
2 Go to the Add Physics window.
3 In the tree, select Structural Mechanics>Shell (shell).
4 Find the Physics interfaces in study subsection. In the table, clear the Solve check boxes
for Study 1, Study 2, Study 3, and Study 4.
5 Click Add to Component 2 in the window toolbar.
6 In the Home toolbar, click Add Physics to close the Add Physics window.

20 | FLUID–STRUCTURE INTERACTION ON A SPORTS CAR DOOR

SHELL (SHELL)
Add the structural mechanics material parameters for glass.

MATERIALS

Glass (quartz) (mat3)

1 In the Model Builder window, under Component 2 (comp2)>Materials click
Glass (quartz) (mat3).
2 In the Settings window for Material, locate the Material Contents section.
3 In the table, enter the following settings:

Property Variable Value Unit Property group

Young’s modulus E 7e10 Pa Young’s modulus and
Poisson’s ratio
Poisson’s ratio nu 0.23 1 Young’s modulus and
Poisson’s ratio

SHELL (SHELL)

Linear Elastic Material 1

In the Model Builder window, under Component 2 (comp2)>Shell (shell) click
Linear Elastic Material 1.

Damping 1
1 In the Physics toolbar, click Attributes and choose Damping.
2 In the Settings window for Damping, locate the Damping Settings section.
3 From the Damping type list, choose Isotropic loss factor.
4 From the s list, choose User defined. In the associated text field, type 0.03.

Thickness and Offset 1

1 In the Model Builder window, under Component 2 (comp2)>Shell (shell) click
Thickness and Offset 1.
2 In the Settings window for Thickness and Offset, locate the Thickness and Offset section.
3 In the d0 text field, type 1.2[mm].

Thickness and Offset 2

1 In the Physics toolbar, click Boundaries and choose Thickness and Offset.
2 Select Boundary 1 only.
3 In the Settings window for Thickness and Offset, locate the Thickness and Offset section.

21 | FLUID–STRUCTURE INTERACTION ON A SPORTS CAR DOOR

4 In the d0 text field, type 3[mm].

Thickness and Offset 3

1 In the Physics toolbar, click Boundaries and choose Thickness and Offset.
2 Select Boundaries 3, 4, 6, 58, and 131 only.
3 In the Settings window for Thickness and Offset, locate the Thickness and Offset section.
4 In the d0 text field, type 2.4[mm].

Thickness and Offset 4

1 In the Physics toolbar, click Boundaries and choose Thickness and Offset.

22 | FLUID–STRUCTURE INTERACTION ON A SPORTS CAR DOOR

2 Select Boundaries 8, 12, 14, 15, 17, 18, and 42–44 only.

3 In the Settings window for Thickness and Offset, locate the Thickness and Offset section.
4 In the d0 text field, type 1.8[mm].

Fixed Constraint 1
1 In the Physics toolbar, click Edges and choose Fixed Constraint.

23 | FLUID–STRUCTURE INTERACTION ON A SPORTS CAR DOOR

2 Select Edges 16, 19, 27, 29, 38–40, 44, 45, 47, 56, 57, 59, 61, 62, 67, 77–79, 81, 83,
85, 349, and 361 only.

Spring Foundation 1
1 In the Physics toolbar, click Boundaries and choose Spring Foundation.
2 Select Boundaries 3, 58, and 131 only.
3 In the Settings window for Spring Foundation, locate the Spring section.

24 | FLUID–STRUCTURE INTERACTION ON A SPORTS CAR DOOR

4 In the kA text field, type 2e9.

Spring Foundation 2
1 In the Physics toolbar, click Edges and choose Spring Foundation.
2 Select Edge 1 only.
3 In the Settings window for Spring Foundation, locate the Spring section.

25 | FLUID–STRUCTURE INTERACTION ON A SPORTS CAR DOOR

4 In the kL text field, type 2e7.

Face Load 1
In the Physics toolbar, click Boundaries and choose Face Load.

Create a selection from the weak form physics boundaries. This saves you from recreating
the selection for the boundary load on the external door surfaces.

WEAK FORM BOUNDARY PDE (WB)

1 In the Model Builder window, under Component 2 (comp2) click
Weak Form Boundary PDE (wb).
2 In the Settings window for Weak Form Boundary PDE, locate the Boundary Selection
section.
3 Click Create Selection.
4 In the Create Selection dialog box, type External surfaces in the Selection name text
field.
5 Click OK.

SHELL (SHELL)

Face Load 1
1 In the Model Builder window, under Component 2 (comp2)>Shell (shell) click Face Load 1.
2 In the Settings window for Face Load, locate the Boundary Selection section.

26 | FLUID–STRUCTURE INTERACTION ON A SPORTS CAR DOOR

3 From the Selection list, choose External surfaces.
By using the withsol() and setval()-operators one can extract the solution from any
dataset at the desired frequency as expressions within the physics interface. Here we use
the previously defined Tstress-variables as boundary loads. Remember to add the flag
for frequency perturbation, this will mark the load as a sinusoidal load.
4 Locate the Force section. Specify the FA vector as

-withsol('sol4',comp2.Tstress1,setval(freq,freq))/T0s x
-withsol('sol4',comp2.Tstress2,setval(freq,freq))/T0s y
-withsol('sol4',comp2.Tstress3,setval(freq,freq))/T0s z

5 Right-click Component 2 (comp2)>Shell (shell)>Face Load 1 and choose

Harmonic Perturbation.

ADD STUDY
1 In the Home toolbar, click Add Study to open the Add Study window.
2 Go to the Add Study window.
3 Find the Physics interfaces in study subsection. In the table, clear the Solve check boxes
for LES RBVM (spf), Laplace’s Equation (lpeq), Turbulent Flow, k- 2 (spf2), and
Weak Form Boundary PDE (wb).
4 Find the Studies subsection. In the Select Study tree, select
Preset Studies for Selected Physics Interfaces>Frequency Domain, Modal.
5 Click Add Study in the window toolbar.
6 In the Home toolbar, click Add Study to close the Add Study window.

STUDY 5

Step 1: Eigenfrequency
1 In the Settings window for Eigenfrequency, locate the Study Settings section.
2 Select the Desired number of eigenfrequencies check box. In the associated text field, type
50.

3 Locate the Physics and Variables Selection section. Select the

Modify model configuration for study step check box.
4 In the tree, select Component 2 (comp2)>Shell (shell)>Linear Elastic Material 1>
Damping 1.
5 Right-click and choose Disable.

27 | FLUID–STRUCTURE INTERACTION ON A SPORTS CAR DOOR

Step 2: Frequency Domain, Modal
1 In the Model Builder window, click Step 2: Frequency Domain, Modal.
2 In the Settings window for Frequency Domain, Modal, locate the Study Settings section.
3 In the Frequencies text field, type range(10,10,1390).
4 Click to expand the Mesh Selection section. In the table, enter the following settings:

Component Mesh
Component 1 No mesh

Solution 6 (sol6)
1 In the Study toolbar, click Show Default Solver.
2 In the Model Builder window, expand the Solution 6 (sol6) node.
3 In the Model Builder window, expand the Study 5>Solver Configurations>
Solution 6 (sol6)>Dependent Variables 1 node, then click
Turbulent dissipation rate (comp1.ep2).
4 In the Settings window for Field, locate the General section.
5 Clear the Store in output check box.
6 In the Model Builder window, under Study 5>Solver Configurations>Solution 6 (sol6)>
Dependent Variables 1 click Turbulent kinetic energy (comp1.k2).
7 In the Settings window for Field, locate the General section.
8 Clear the Store in output check box.
9 In the Model Builder window, under Study 5>Solver Configurations>Solution 6 (sol6)>
Dependent Variables 1 click Pressure (comp1.p).
10 In the Settings window for Field, locate the General section.
11 Clear the Store in output check box.
12 In the Model Builder window, under Study 5>Solver Configurations>Solution 6 (sol6)>
Dependent Variables 1 click Pressure (comp1.p2).
13 In the Settings window for Field, locate the General section.
14 Clear the Store in output check box.
15 In the Model Builder window, under Study 5>Solver Configurations>Solution 6 (sol6)>
Dependent Variables 1 click Velocity field (comp1.u).
16 In the Settings window for Field, locate the General section.
17 Clear the Store in output check box.

28 | FLUID–STRUCTURE INTERACTION ON A SPORTS CAR DOOR

18 In the Model Builder window, under Study 5>Solver Configurations>Solution 6 (sol6)>
Dependent Variables 1 click Dependent variable u2 (comp1.u2).
19 In the Settings window for Field, locate the General section.
20 Clear the Store in output check box.
21 In the Model Builder window, under Study 5>Solver Configurations>Solution 6 (sol6)>
Dependent Variables 1 click Velocity field (comp1.u3).
22 In the Settings window for Field, locate the General section.
23 Clear the Store in output check box.
24 In the Model Builder window, expand the Study 5>Solver Configurations>
Solution 6 (sol6)>Dependent Variables 2 node, then click
Turbulent dissipation rate (comp1.ep2).
25 In the Settings window for Field, locate the General section.
26 Clear the Store in output check box.
27 In the Model Builder window, under Study 5>Solver Configurations>Solution 6 (sol6)>
Dependent Variables 2 click Turbulent kinetic energy (comp1.k2).
28 In the Settings window for Field, locate the General section.
29 Clear the Store in output check box.
30 In the Model Builder window, under Study 5>Solver Configurations>Solution 6 (sol6)>
Dependent Variables 2 click Pressure (comp1.p).
31 In the Settings window for Field, locate the General section.
32 Clear the Store in output check box.
33 In the Model Builder window, under Study 5>Solver Configurations>Solution 6 (sol6)>
Dependent Variables 2 click Pressure (comp1.p2).
34 In the Settings window for Field, locate the General section.
35 Clear the Store in output check box.
36 In the Model Builder window, under Study 5>Solver Configurations>Solution 6 (sol6)>
Dependent Variables 2 click Velocity field (comp1.u).
37 In the Settings window for Field, locate the General section.
38 Clear the Store in output check box.
39 In the Model Builder window, under Study 5>Solver Configurations>Solution 6 (sol6)>
Dependent Variables 2 click Dependent variable u2 (comp1.u2).
40 In the Settings window for Field, locate the General section.
41 Clear the Store in output check box.

29 | FLUID–STRUCTURE INTERACTION ON A SPORTS CAR DOOR

42 In the Model Builder window, under Study 5>Solver Configurations>Solution 6 (sol6)>
Dependent Variables 2 click Velocity field (comp1.u3).
43 In the Settings window for Field, locate the General section.
44 Clear the Store in output check box.

Step 1: Eigenfrequency
1 In the Model Builder window, under Study 5 click Step 1: Eigenfrequency.
2 In the Settings window for Eigenfrequency, click to expand the Mesh Selection section.
3 In the table, enter the following settings:

Component Mesh
Component 1 No mesh

Step 2: Frequency Domain, Modal

1 In the Model Builder window, click Step 2: Frequency Domain, Modal.
2 In the Settings window for Frequency Domain, Modal, locate the Mesh Selection section.
3 In the table, enter the following settings:

Component Mesh
Component 1 No mesh

4 In the Study toolbar, click Compute.

RESULTS

Stress (shell)
1 In the Stress (shell) toolbar, click Plot.
2 In the Settings window for 3D Plot Group, locate the Data section.
3 From the Parameter value (freq (Hz)) list, choose 50.
4 In the Stress (shell) toolbar, click Plot.
5 In the Home toolbar, click Add Predefined Plot.

ADD PREDEFINED PLOT

1 Go to the Add Predefined Plot window.
2 In the tree, select Study 5/Solution 6 (9) (sol6)>Shell>Displacement (shell).
3 Click Add Plot in the window toolbar.

30 | FLUID–STRUCTURE INTERACTION ON A SPORTS CAR DOOR

RESULTS

Displacement (shell)
1 In the Settings window for 3D Plot Group, locate the Data section.
2 From the Parameter value (freq (Hz)) list, choose 50.
3 In the Displacement (shell) toolbar, click Plot.

ADD PREDEFINED PLOT

1 Go to the Add Predefined Plot window.
2 In the tree, select Study 5/Solution 6 (9) (sol6)>Shell>Applied Loads (shell)>
Face Loads (shell).
3 Click Add Plot in the window toolbar.

RESULTS

Face Loads (shell)

1 In the Settings window for 3D Plot Group, locate the Data section.
2 From the Parameter value (freq (Hz)) list, choose 50.
3 In the Face Loads (shell) toolbar, click Plot.

31 | FLUID–STRUCTURE INTERACTION ON A SPORTS CAR DOOR

32 | FLUID–STRUCTURE INTERACTION ON A SPORTS CAR DOOR