FSI Analysis for a Ball in Water Flow — ANSYS Fluent CFD SimulationDescriptionThis project simulates a spherical ball immersed in water flow using ANSYS Fluent coupled with structural analysis through the Fluid–Solid Interaction (FSI) method. FSI is the central theme: rather than treating the ball as a rigid, unresponsive obstacle, the simulation couples the fluid solver with a structural solver so that the flow loads acting on the ball and the ball's structural response are computed together, each influencing the other. As the opening project of the FSI: Beginner CFD Training Package, it introduces the core idea of two-way coupling on the simplest possible geometry — a single body deforming under fluid load — establishing the workflow the airfoil, vessel, and turbine cases build on.MethodologyThe model is three-dimensional and was created in Design Modeler. It consists of a horizontal tube 0.02 m long and 0.001 m in diameter, with a spherical solid of 0.00009 m diameter placed inside it. Meshing was carried out in ANSYS Meshing with 20,192 elements, and because the coupled response evolves in time, a transient solver is used. The heart of the methodology is the two-way coupling between ANSYS Fluent and Transient Structural via System Coupling. Because the solid boundary responds to the flow, the mesh adjacent to it must change in step with that response, so dynamic mesh techniques are employed: smoothing keeps the number of nodes fixed and adjusts the mesh by moving or deforming the boundaries, while remeshing is invoked when boundary displacement becomes large relative to the local cell size, regenerating cells that have degraded beyond the acceptable quality limit. The pipe region is defined as stationary, and the wall of the ball is governed by system coupling with the structural solver. The flow enters the tube at 0.001 m/s and exits at atmospheric pressure. In the structural analysis, the spherical body's wall is designated as a fluid–solid interaction boundary, so it can respond to the water flow. The data exchange between the two solvers is defined in the System Coupling settings, where a boundary acting as a source in one solver is mapped to the same boundary as a target in the other: force is passed from the fluid side to the structural side, and the resulting displacement is passed from the structural side back to the fluid region. The standard k-ε model closes the turbulent flow equations.AnalysisAfter solving, the simulation yields two-dimensional contours of pressure and shear stress over the surface of the spherical body, along with contours of velocity and pressure around the ball on the mid-plane of the tube, all corresponding to the final second of the simulation. On the structural side, contours of deformation and elastic strain are also obtained. Together these show how the water flow imposes loads on the ball, how the ball deforms in response, and how that deformation feeds back into the flow field. By the end of this project, you'll be able to set up a two-way FSI simulation coupling ANSYS Fluent with Transient Structural through System Coupling, configure the force-and-displacement data transfer across the interface, apply dynamic mesh to track the deforming boundary, and interpret the coupled fluid and structural results that capture the mutual interaction between a flowing fluid and a deformable body.

DescriptionIn this project, we present a simulation of an Airfoil exposed to the airflow via ANSYS Fluent software.Since the airfoil is exposed to airflow, an interaction occurs between the wind blowing and the airfoil structure. It means that airflow exerts a volume force on the airfoil's body by hitting it. Therefore, we intend to perform a numerical simulation of the airfoil as a Fluid-Structure Interaction (called FSI).The interaction between fluid and structure can be implemented as:One-way FSITwo-way FSIIn this project, we aim to analyze only the effect of fluid on the structure, and there is no need to account for the effect of the structure on the fluid. So, we choose One-way FSI, which is a simple and less-expensive approach.We modeled the geometry via SpaceClaim software. The computational domain is a sample space of the surrounding air that includes both fluid and solid domains. There is a solid airfoil structure within the fluid environment, which is considered fixed from the center.We meshed the computational domain via ANSYS Meshing software. The mesh is of an unstructured type, and approximately 1,700,000 cells have been generated.MethodologyFluid-structure interaction can be performed in two general methodologies:In the ANSYS Workbench environment, using an external solver (specifically, system coupling)Only in the Fluent solver (in the form of an intrinsic FSI).In this project, we implemented a one-way FSI in the ANSYS Fluent environment. In other words, the Fluent solver performs both fluid and solid calculations simultaneously.For two-way FSI in Fluent solver, the Structure model is utilized. The structural model can be implemented in two ways:Linear elasticity: The deformation is proportional to the applied force. In this case, the deformations are usually small, and the calculation process is faster.Nonlinear elasticity: The deformation is not necessarily proportional to the applied force. In this case, the deformations are usually large, and the calculation process is more complex and time-consuming.In this project, we considered fluid-structure interaction in the form of a Linear Elasticity state.Since we were analyzing one-way FSI and not considering the effect of structural displacement on the adjacent fluid, we didn't need to use the dynamic mesh model.ResultsWe analyzed the results in two fluid and solid approaches:In a fluid view, we studied the behavior of airflow. For this, we obtained the distributions of the pressure and velocity of air. The results show that the airflow collides with the airfoil body at high speed and, as a result, exerts a hydraulic force on the airfoil structure.In a solid view, we studied the behavior of the airfoil body under the influence of the applied forces of the air flow. For this, we obtained the distribution of the von Mises stress and displacements (in all directions). The results confirm that the airflow affects the airfoil structure and, as a result, it undergoes displacements relative to the fixed center.In conclusion, we can claim that we carried out the simulation project of an airfoil correctly and acceptably by using the two-way FSI method.

DescriptionIn this project, we present a simulation of an Airfoil exposed to the airflow via ANSYS software.Since the airfoil is exposed to airflow, an interaction occurs between the wind blowing and the airfoil structure. First, the airflow exerts a volume force on the airfoil's body by hitting it. Subsequently, displacement or deformation appears on the airfoil, which can lead to the airflow being affected. Therefore, we intend to perform a numerical simulation of the airfoil as a Fluid-Structure Interaction (called FSI).The interaction between fluid and structure can be implemented as:One-way FSITwo-way FSIIn this project, we aim to analyze both the effect of fluid on the structure and the effect of the structure on the fluid. So, we choose Two-way FSI, which is a more accurate and realistic but more complex approach.We modeled the geometry via Design Modeler software. The computational domain is a sample space of the surrounding air that includes both fluid and solid domains. There is a solid airfoil structure within the fluid environment, which is considered fixed from the center.We meshed the computational domain via ANSYS Meshing software. The mesh is of an unstructured type, and approximately 56,000 cells have been generated.MethodologyFluid-structure interaction can be performed in two general methodologies:In the ANSYS Workbench environment, using an external solver (specifically, system coupling)Only in the Fluent solver (in the form of an intrinsic FSI).In this project, we implemented a two-way FSI in the ANSYS workbench environment.For two-way FSI with an external solver, three main steps are required:Simulation of the fluid domain from the model using the Fluent solverSimulation of the solid domain from the model using the Transient Structural solverDefinition of the Data Transfer between the fluid and structural solvers using the System Coupling toolFor utilizing the system coupling, we define two data transfers:In the form of Forces to the interface wall (from the fluid solver to the structural solver)In the form of Displacements of the interface wall (from the structural solver to the fluid solver)Since we were analyzing two-way FSI and considering the effect of the structure's displacement on the adjacent fluid, we used the Dynamic Mesh model. In other words, we establish a connection between the fluid and structure calculations with the System Coupling option. Then, for defining a deforming mesh, we enabled the smoothing and remeshing methods.In addition, because of the aerodynamic nature of the airfoil and the very high airflow velocity, we considered a density-based solver.ResultsWe analyzed the results in two fluid and solid approaches:In Fluent, we studied the behavior of airflow. For this, we obtained the distributions of the pressure and velocity of air. The results show that the airflow collides with the airfoil body at high speed and, as a result, exerts a hydraulic force on the airfoil structure.In Structural Transient, we studied the behavior of the airfoil body under the influence of the applied forces of the airflow. For this, we obtained the distribution of the deformation, von Mises stress, and elastic strain. The results confirm that the airflow affects the airfoil structure and, as a result, it undergoes displacements relative to the fixed center.In conclusion, we can claim that we carried out the simulation project of an airfoil correctly and acceptably by using the two-way FSI method.

DescriptionIn this project, we present a simulation of a Blood Vessel via ANSYS Fluent software.Since the vessel is exposed to blood flow, an interaction occurs between the blood flowing and the vessel structure. First, the blood flow exerts a force on the vessel's body by hitting it. Subsequently, displacement or deformation appears on the vessel, which can lead to the blood flow being affected. Therefore, we intend to perform a numerical simulation of the blood vessel as a Fluid-Structure Interaction (called FSI).The interaction between fluid and structure can be implemented as:One-way FSITwo-way FSIIn this project, we aim to analyze both the effect of fluid on the structure and the effect of the structure on the fluid. So, we choose Two-way FSI, which is a more accurate and realistic but more complex approach.We modeled the geometry via Spaceclaim software. The computational domain is a sample space of a vascular system with a simple construction. We considered the blood vessel as a horizontal cylinder with a solid layer surrounding the fluid region.We meshed the computational domain via ANSYS Meshing software. The mesh is of an unstructured type, and approximately 56,000 cells have been generated.MethodologyFluid-structure interaction can be performed in two general methodologies:In the ANSYS Workbench environment, using an external solver (specifically, system coupling)Only in the Fluent solver (in the form of an intrinsic FSI).In this project, we implemented a two-way FSI in the ANSYS Fluent environment. In other words, the Fluent solver performs both fluid and solid calculations simultaneously.For two-way FSI in Fluent solver, the Structure model is utilized. The structural model can be implemented in two ways:Linear elasticity: The deformation is proportional to the applied force. In this case, the deformations are usually small, and the calculation process is faster.Nonlinear elasticity: The deformation is not necessarily proportional to the applied force. In this case, the deformations are usually large, and the calculation process is more complex and time-consuming.In this project, we considered fluid-structure interaction in the form of a Linear Elasticity state.Since we were analyzing two-way FSI and considering the effect of structural displacement on the adjacent fluid, we used the Dynamic Mesh model. In other words, we establish a connection between the fluid and structural calculations with the Intrinsic FSI option. Then, we enabled the smoothing and remeshing methods to define a deformable mesh.In addition, for defining blood flow in a pulse-mode, we used a user-defined function (UDF) so that the flow has a variable velocity with respect to time.ResultsWe analyzed the results in two fluid and solid approaches:In a fluid view, we studied the behavior of blood flow. For this, we obtained the distributions of the pressure and velocity of blood. The results show that the blood flow collides with the vessel body at pulsatile speed and, as a result, exerts a hydraulic force on the vessel structure.In a solid view, we studied the behavior of the vessel body under the influence of the applied forces of the blood flow. For this, we obtained the distribution of the von Mises stress and displacements (in all directions). The results confirm that the blood flow affects the vessel structure and, as a result, it undergoes deformation relative to the initial state.In conclusion, we can claim that we carried out the simulation project of a blood vessel correctly and acceptably by using the two-way FSI method.

Lumen Blood Vessel (Non-Newtonian) — ANSYS Fluent CFD SimulationDescriptionThis project simulates a lumen blood vessel using coupled Fluid-Structure Interaction (FSI) together with a non-Newtonian blood model in ANSYS Fluent. Because blood is a shear-thinning fluid whose viscosity changes with the local strain rate, a non-Newtonian treatment is essential for capturing the flow behavior realistically inside the vessel — and because the elastic vessel wall deforms under the pulsating flow, the case couples the fluid and structural response. Within the FSI: Beginner CFD Training Package, this project builds on the pulsatile blood-vessel case by adding non-Newtonian blood behavior, giving a more physically realistic biomedical FSI problem.MethodologyThe three-dimensional geometry was created in SpaceClaim, with a computational domain 164 mm long, 262 mm high, and 5 mm wide, meshed in ANSYS Meshing to a total of 356,794 elements. Owing to the pulsatile nature of the problem, a transient solver was used. A blood vessel together with its wall is simulated in ANSYS Fluent, with the solver's intrinsic FSI module enabled so that the displacement of the vessel wall could be captured in response to the flow. The inlet boundary condition was defined as a pulsatile velocity through a UDF, while the outlet was defined as a pulsatile pressure, also supplied through a UDF. The blood itself was modeled as a non-Newtonian fluid using the Carreau model, which reproduces the shear-thinning drop in viscosity as the shear rate increases, and a laminar model was enabled to solve the fluid equations.AnalysisOn completion of the solution, three-dimensional contours of wall displacement and von Mises stress were obtained. As the results show, the blood flowing through the vessel exerts stress on the vessel walls, deforming them and demonstrating the two-way coupling between the pulsatile non-Newtonian flow and the compliant vessel structure. From these results you can evaluate how the pulsating blood loads the vessel wall, where the stress and deformation concentrate, and how the shear-thinning viscosity shapes the flow. By the end of this project, you'll be able to set up a coupled FSI simulation with a compliant vessel wall, apply the Carreau non-Newtonian model with UDF-defined pulsatile inlet and outlet conditions, and interpret the wall-displacement and von Mises stress fields that characterize biomedical fluid-structure interaction.

Centrifugal Pump with Fluid-Structure Interaction (FSI) — ANSYS Fluent CFD Simulation TrainingThis project simulates the fluid flow and structural dynamics within a centrifugal pump using ANSYS Fluent, with the full case analyzed through CFD post-processing.The 3D geometry was created in Design Modeler and represents a centrifugal pump, with several blades arranged in the central zone. The fluid enters from the outside of the pump and, after rotating around the blades, exits axially from the center. The model was meshed in ANSYS Meshing, for a total of more than 3,649,835 cells.MethodologyPumps are industrial machines that move fluid from one place to another through mechanical action. They fall into two main categories — dynamic and positive-displacement pumps — and centrifugal pumps are among the most common dynamic types. A centrifugal pump raises the fluid pressure from inlet to outlet, driving the flow; the force that creates this pressure comes from an electric motor that rotates the impeller. The fluid enters at the center of the impeller and exits at the edge of the blades, so the centrifugal force increases its velocity and kinetic energy.The model consists of three main parts: the central blades, defined as a solid body, and the casing around the pump, defined as the fluid passage, with a distinct central zone defined for the fluid so that the rotational motion of the blades can be applied to it. This central fluid zone uses the moving-reference-frame (frame motion) method at a rotational speed of 1500 rpm, meaning the fluid rotates around the blades at this speed. Water enters radially through the inlet port at 140 m/s and exits axially at the center of the pump at a relative pressure of 0 Pa.The SST k-omega model solves the turbulent flow equations, chosen for its accuracy in predicting flow patterns both near and far from the walls. To capture the interaction between the fluid flow and the structural response of the pump components, a Fluid-Structure Interaction (FSI) model is employed. This allows the deformation of the pump blades under fluid loading to be captured, giving a realistic depiction of the fluid–structure coupling.ResultsThe contours show that the pressure increases radially, rising from the central part of the pump toward the periphery. Because of the rotational motion in the central region, the maximum velocity appears there, along with the largest pressure difference (pressure gradient). Integrating the FSI model into the simulation provides critical insight into the structural dynamics of the impeller blades, contributing to a more robust understanding of the pump's operational efficiency and its potential failure points under dynamic loading.

FSI Method for Water Turbine CFD Simulation in ANSYS FluentIntroductionThis study investigates the water flow around a vertical water turbine using an unsteady, transient CFD simulation in ANSYS Fluent. The turbine blades are assumed to be affected by the passing fluid flow, such that the fluid impedes forces on the turbine body, causing deformation and resizing of the blade structure. Since the problem involves the simultaneous solution of both fluid and solid domains, a Fluid-Structure Interaction (FSI) approach is employed, coupling the fluid flow solution with a Transient Structural analysis through system coupling. The simulation is solved using a pressure-based, transient solver, with gravitational effects neglected.Geometry and MeshThe three-dimensional model was designed in Design Modeler, consisting of a large cubic fluid domain with the water turbine positioned inside as the solid domain. The domain was discretized using an unstructured mesh generated in ANSYS Meshing, resulting in a total element count of 523,202.MethodologyTurbulent flow behavior was resolved using the standard k-epsilon viscous model with standard wall functions applied for near-wall treatment. The dynamic mesh approach, incorporating smoothing and remeshing methods, was coupled with a system coupling dynamic mesh zone to capture the two-way interaction between the fluid flow and the deforming turbine structure. At the inlet, a velocity-inlet boundary condition was applied with a velocity magnitude of 1.5 m/s, while a pressure-outlet condition with 0 Pa gauge pressure was set at the outlet. The turbine blades and fixed surfaces were defined as stationary walls. The SIMPLE algorithm was used for pressure-velocity coupling, with second-order upwind discretization applied to pressure and momentum, and first-order upwind discretization applied to turbulent kinetic energy and turbulent dissipation rate. The simulation was initialized using the standard initialization method with an x-velocity of 1.5 m/s.Results and ConclusionThe coupled FSI solution captures the dynamic interaction between the water flow and the turbine blade structure, allowing the deformation behavior of the blades under fluid loading to be evaluated alongside the surrounding flow field characteristics, providing insight into the structural response of the turbine under realistic unsteady hydrodynamic conditions.

Pelton Turbine (FSI) — ANSYS Fluent CFD SimulationDescriptionThis project simulates fluid–structure interaction (FSI) in a Pelton turbine using ANSYS Fluent. A Pelton turbine converts the pressure energy of a high-velocity water jet into mechanical rotation via cup-shaped blades, and when that high-pressure jet strikes the turbine body, it can noticeably displace or deform the solid structure — making this a genuine two-way coupling problem between the fluid flow and the structural response rather than a fluid-only analysis. Within the FSI: Beginner CFD Training Package, this project applies FSI to an impulse hydro turbine, extending the coupled approach to a high-load rotating machine where the jet impact drives the structural response.MethodologyThe geometry, covering both the solid turbine body and the surrounding fluid region, is built in 3D using Design Modeler and meshed in ANSYS Meshing with roughly 6 million cells. Rather than coupling Fluent to an external structural solver through a system-coupling setup, the project uses Fluent's Intrinsic FSI capability, running both the fluid and structural calculations natively within Fluent by enabling the Structural Model with a linear elasticity formulation for the deformation. Rotation of the turbine is captured through the Moving Reference Frame approach, applying a specified rotational speed to the fluid zone adjacent to the turbine body via Frame Motion, consistent with a steady-state run.AnalysisThe results are examined from both structural and fluid perspectives: total displacement and von Mises stress describe how the turbine body responds mechanically, while the pressure and velocity fields describe the water flow around it. The coupled results show that the high-pressure, rotating water jet imposes substantial loading on the solid body, producing noticeable deformation concentrated on the blades — exactly where the jet impact is most direct — confirming that the intrinsic FSI setup captures a physically consistent fluid-to-structure load transfer. By the end of this project, you'll be able to set up an intrinsic FSI simulation within ANSYS Fluent using the Structural Model with linear elasticity, apply the Moving Reference Frame approach for a rotating turbine, and interpret the displacement, stress, pressure, and velocity fields that characterize the jet-driven fluid-structure interaction in a Pelton turbine.

DescriptionIn this project, we present a simulation of a Horizontal-Axis Water Turbine (HAWT) via ANSYS software.Since the turbine blades are exposed to water flow, an interaction occurs between the water flowing and the turbine blades' structure. So, the water flow exerts a hydraulic force on the blades' body by hitting it. Therefore, we intend to perform a numerical simulation of the water turbine as a Fluid-Structure Interaction (called FSI).The interaction between fluid and structure can be implemented as:One-way FSITwo-way FSIIn this project, we aim to analyze only the effect of fluid on the structure, and there is no need to account for the effect of the structure on the fluid. So, we choose One-way FSI, which is a simple and less-expensive approach.We modeled the geometry via Design Modeler software. The computational domain is a sample space for water flow, in which a distinct fluid region is defined around the turbine body. The turbine is of the horizontal-axis type and includes three blades.We meshed the computational domain via ANSYS Meshing software. The mesh is of an unstructured type, and approximately 3,400,000 cells have been generated.MethodologyFluid-structure interaction can be performed in two general methodologies:In the ANSYS Workbench environment, using an external solverOnly in the Fluent solver (in the form of an intrinsic FSI).For one-way FSI with an external solver, three main steps are required:Simulation of the fluid domain from the model using the Fluent solverSimulation of the solid domain from the model using the Transient Structural solverTransfer data directly from the fluid solver to the structural solverSince we were analyzing one-way FSI and not considering the effect of structural displacement on the adjacent fluid, we didn't need to use the dynamic mesh model.In addition, we used the Multiple Reference Frame (MRF) to define a rotational flow with a certain angular velocity in the region around the turbine body.ResultsWe analyzed the results in two fluid and solid approaches:In Fluent, we studied the behavior of water flow around the turbine. For this, we obtained the distributions of the pressure and velocity of water near the blades. The results show that the water flow collides with the rotating blades' body and, as a result, exerts a hydraulic force on the turbine structure.In Structural Transient, we studied the behavior of the turbine blades' body under the influence of the applied forces of the water flow. For this, we obtained the distribution of the deformation, von Mises stress, and elastic strain. The results confirm that the water flow affects the turbine blades' structure.In conclusion, we can claim that we carried out the simulation project of a HAWT correctly and acceptably by using the one-way FSI method.

DescriptionIn this project, we present a simulation of a Horizontal-Axis Water Turbine (HAWT) via ANSYS Fluent software.Since the turbine blades are exposed to water flow, an interaction occurs between the water flowing and the turbine blades' structure. First, the water flow exerts a hydraulic force on the blades' body by hitting it. Subsequently, displacement or deformation appears on the turbine, which can lead to the water flow being affected. Therefore, we intend to perform a numerical simulation of the water turbine as a Fluid-Structure Interaction (called FSI).The interaction between fluid and structure can be implemented as:One-way FSITwo-way FSIIn this project, we aim to analyze both the effect of fluid on the structure and the effect of the structure on the fluid. So, we choose Two-way FSI, which is a more accurate and realistic but more complex approach.We modeled the geometry via Design Modeler software. The computational domain is a sample space for water flow, in which a distinct fluid region is defined around the turbine body. The turbine is of the horizontal-axis type and includes three blades.We meshed the computational domain via ANSYS Meshing software. The mesh is of an unstructured type, and approximately 3,400,000 cells have been generated.MethodologyFluid-structure interaction can be performed in two general methodologies:In the ANSYS Workbench environment, using an external solver (specifically, system coupling)Only in the Fluent solver (in the form of an intrinsic FSI).In this project, we implemented a two-way FSI in the ANSYS Fluent environment. In other words, the Fluent solver performs both fluid and solid calculations simultaneously.For two-way FSI in Fluent solver, the Structure model is utilized. The structural model can be implemented in two ways:Linear elasticity: The deformation is proportional to the applied force. In this case, the deformations are usually small, and the calculation process is faster.Nonlinear elasticity: The deformation is not necessarily proportional to the applied force. In this case, the deformations are usually large, and the calculation process is more complex and time-consuming.In this project, we considered fluid-structure interaction in the form of a Linear Elasticity state.Since we were analyzing two-way FSI and considering the effect of structural displacement on the adjacent fluid, we used the Dynamic Mesh model. In other words, we establish a connection between the fluid and structural calculations with the Intrinsic FSI option. Then, we enabled the smoothing and remeshing methods to define a deformable mesh.In addition, we used the Multiple Reference Frame (MRF) to define a rotational flow with a certain angular velocity in the region around the turbine body.ResultsWe analyzed the results in two fluid and solid approaches:In a fluid view, we studied the behavior of water flow around the turbine. For this, we obtained the distributions of the pressure and velocity of water near the blades. The results show that the water flow collides with the rotating blades' body and, as a result, exerts a hydraulic force on the turbine structure.In a solid view, we studied the behavior of the turbine blades' body under the influence of the applied forces of the water flow. For this, we obtained the distribution of the von Mises stress and displacements (in all directions). The results confirm that the water flow affects the turbine blades' structure.In conclusion, we can claim that we carried out the simulation project of a HAWT correctly and acceptably by using the two-way FSI method.