
MS4-04 - Computational Simulation of Coupled Multiphysics Problems
Fluid flows frequently couple to other physical processes, for example heat transfer, stress and
vibration of solid objects in the flow, and electromagnetism. Typically, this is to enable simulation
capability beyond the scope of a single solver. Such problems often involve solving different
equation sets using different numerical and computational methods, on different domains of the
problem, or different spatial or temporal scales. A lot of these problems arise in free surface flow
problems, such as wave-structure interaction problems, where waves in an air-water flow interact
with solid objects such as support structures.
Two basic approaches can be followed to implement multi-physics simulations in software; a
software-monolithic approach, in which the different physical problems are solved using a single
code (in a numerically monolithic or partitioned way), or a code coupling approach, in which
separate computational codes are joined together using a coupling tool. Examples of such coupling
tools include the Multiscale Universal Interface (MUI) [3] and the preCICE library[4].
This Minisymposium arises from the UK Collaborative Computational Project on Wave-Structrure
Interaction, which has run a series of events on code coupling, including a recent Hackathon in this
area. Submissions are invited from researchers working on any form of multiphysics coupling and
with any implementation approach.