Bullet movement

Bullet (HPBT) Movement (Dynamic Mesh) — ANSYS Fluent CFD Simulation

Description

This project simulates the movement of a Hollow Point Boat Tail (HPBT) bullet using dynamic mesh in ANSYS Fluent, exploring high-speed projectile dynamics. As the bullet travels at supersonic speed, it forms shock waves that govern its aerodynamic performance, and capturing this means letting the bullet move freely through the domain while the mesh deforms and regenerates to follow it. Because the flow is supersonic and compressible, the case also brings in the density-based solver and the shock physics that define high-speed aerodynamics. Within the Dynamic Mesh: Beginner CFD Training Package, this project combines moving-body dynamic mesh with compressible supersonic flow, adding shock-wave physics to the moving-body cases before it.

Methodology

The optimized 2D HPBT bullet geometry is created in ANSYS Design Modeler and meshed in ANSYS Meshing with an unstructured grid of 13,040 elements suited to dynamic remeshing. A density-based solver is set up for the compressible, transient flow, and the dynamic mesh model is configured for the bullet's movement at Mach 2.531, with ideal-gas properties assigned to the air to model the compressibility effects. As the bullet moves, the dynamic mesh deforms and regenerates to follow it, keeping the solution valid throughout the motion.

Analysis

Post-processing extracts pressure, temperature, and velocity contours, revealing the supersonic flow around the moving bullet and the formation and propagation of the shock waves behind it. The mesh deformation and regeneration are evaluated to confirm the dynamic-mesh approach captures the transient flow correctly, and the compressibility effects are assessed to show why a density-based solver is essential at supersonic speed. From these results you can understand how the shock structure shapes the bullet's aerodynamic performance. By the end of this project, you'll be able to set up a dynamic-mesh simulation coupled with a density-based compressible solver, model a projectile moving at supersonic speed, and interpret the shock waves and pressure fields that govern high-speed projectile aerodynamics.