Fluid-structure Interactions

This article reviews finite element methods that are widely used in the analysis of solids and structures, and they provide great benefits in product design. In fact, with today’s highly competitive design and manufacturing markets, it is nearly impossible to ignore the advances that have been made in the computer analysis of structures without losing an edge in innovation and productivity. Various commercial finite-element programs are widely used and have proven to be indispensable in designing safer, more economical products. Applications of acoustic-fluid/structure interactions are found whenever the fluid can be modeled to be inviscid and to undergo only relatively small particle motions. The interplay between finite-element modeling and analysis with the recognition and understanding of new physical phenomena will advance the understanding of physical processes. This will lead to increasingly better simulations. Based on current technology and realistic expectations of further hardware and software developments, a tremendous future for fluid–structure interaction applications lies ahead.