‘Space Research Joumal | (1): 1-16, 2008 ISSN 1819-3382 © 2008 Academie Journals Ine A Local Meshless Method for Solving Compressible Euler Equations Zhitwa Ma, NA. Emad and H.Q. Chen College of Aerospace Engineering, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, 29 YuDao Street, Nanjing 216016, People’s Republic of China Abstract: Local Meshless Method (LMM) is developed forthe solution of compressible flows over arbitrary configurations In this approach, the flow field is tusieally diseretized by Cartesian grid and LMM is embedded in the regions adjacent to bodies. Because of Cartesian mesh’s regularity and orthogonality, it not only provides an efficient mesh generation with simple implementation of numerical schemes, but also eliminate issues associated with mesh skewness and distortion, which offers the advantage of shock capturing with minimal phase enor. Furthermere, LMM only requires a few of points be istributed in vicinity of the bodies and so the proposed algorithm with this lesibiliy is well suited to atbitrary configurations. Besides these, LMM also successfully avoids tmuneation errors caused by interpolation and extrapolation which are usually used in embedded mesh methods. Firstly, the procedure using LMM to solve the ideal incompressible flow is described in details and the solution of ow arcund a exlinder ina rectangular channel is presented. Then, LMM is further extended to solve compressible Euler equstons, Identical problems such s flows across channels, incident shock wave past ‘cylinor and transonie flows over airfeils are simulated and comparisons with traciional Finite Volume Method (FVM) and Meshless Method (MMD are presented Good agreement ofthe captured shock waves and sunface’s pressure coefficient is observed and the validity of the local meshless method is demonstrated, ‘Key words: Fluid dynamics, hybrid algorithm, meshless cloud of pont INTRODUCTION During the oar study ofthe mumercal solution methods to Partial Differential Equations (PDE), Cartesian mesh is ullzed as a common tol to disetetisize the physical domain. Ths kind of mesh is ‘oth simple and regular and it has no issues associated with mesh skewness and distortion aid soit is very popular with many researchers (Modinishi, 2001: Luo ea, 2006). However, when dealing ‘with complex configurations, Cartesian grid lines usually cross the physical boundary as they do not ft te body. Therefore itis cficult fr this kind of mesh method to dcetly implement the boundary condition. Boundary treatments that incosporate cut cells near the body/grid interface can suffer Significant convergence problems when very smal cells are formed (Kitshman and Lit, 2004) ‘To simplify the weatment ofthe boundary condition, structured mesh is proposed, This kind of ‘method transforms the physical body-fitted mesh to regular mesh inthe computstional domain and then solves the goveming equations in the computational domain. However, the transformed equation ‘nthe computational domain is usally much more complicated than the orginal one in the physical domain. Morcover, the cnthogonality of the grid is not easy to gourantee and this may introduee ‘unexpected error into the solution, Recortly, new type of numerical method called meshlss (or meshifee, gridless) method has ‘been proposed. This kind of method is capuble of directly estimating the derivatives without Carvepen ‘Auber Tina Ma, Coleus of Aswpace Bninesng ‘Nays vet of Acorns an Asean, 29 YuDao street, Nang 210016, Pecple's Repti of China 1Space Res. J, 1 (I): 1-16, 2008 ‘transforming the problem fiom physical domin to computational domain. It is not only simple but also flexible, because ony a set of points are required to be distributed in the physical domain without ‘considering the connectives among these nodes. And many researchers have been devoted tothe study ‘of meshless meth a brief deserpfion is presented as fllows. Inthe fields of astrophysics al solid mechanics, investigators have proposed smonthed particle hydrodynamics (Luey, 1977) to salve high speed collision problems (Xinyvan and Zongwu, 1997) Based on the diffuse clement mathod, element-ftee Galerkin method is developed and used in the analysis of jointed sock structures Zhuang e al, 2000}, dam crack propagation (Den and Yuan, 2000), ‘beng problem of plates on clastic foundation (Zhang and Hii, 2000), slope exeavaton (Pang er al, 1999) and graded plate with an edge crack (an e a, 2000). Inthe fed of fad mecharies, an explicit meshless solution method is proposed forthe solution to Buler"Navier Stokes Equations Batna, 1993). And later, implicit methods ae proposed to improve the carly explicit method (Morinishi, 2001; Hongquen. 2002) To solve the flows over multi-slement airfoil, the scattered point distribution technique is investigated (Singxian and. Hongquan, 2004; Gang raf, 2004). To improve the resclution of flow features, an adaptive meshffee algorithm wsing local cloud refinement is proposed fer repulurly and inregulaly distibuted nodes (Zhibua ancl Hongquan, 2005). In order to apply upwind scheme in meshless method and to examine the performance of the radial basis funeion-based differential quadrature (RBF-DQ). an upwind local RBF-DQ shen is developed to solve the Euler equations (Shu eral, 2005). Inthe research of meshless methex, many investigators focus cn the numerical approximation ‘method of PDEs in cloud of points. When these methods are applied to deal with different configurations, even if there ony litle of change between the configurations, all ofthe points have to be redistributed once again, And the redundant work might probably slow down the computation speed and result in low elicieney. ‘To overcome the dificult ofthe Cartesian mesh implementing the physical boundary condition and to avoid the redundant work of point redistibution forthe meshless method, a new hybrid algorithm using loal meshiess technique embedded on Cartesian mesh is proposed in this sty. The ‘whole pyscal domi is covered by the base Cartesian grid and only a few of clouds are introduced into the adjacent region ofthe physical houndary. Because of Cartesian grid’ regularity and simplicity, ‘the computer time for generating mesh is almost nepligible and numerical schernes are easy to be ‘plemented on the grid, Andit also eliminates issues associated with mesh skewness and distortion, ‘which offs the advantage of shock capturing with minimal phase eror. The local meshless treatment ‘technique ony’ requires a small pat of clouds be intoduced to sepresent the configuration, It aot only effectively reduces the redundant work, bul also provides the exibility to handle arbitrary ‘configurations. ‘To investigate tho validity and accuracy of the new hybrid method, Laplace's equation as the governing equation of ideal inviscid New sfsly considered ‘The Dow in a rectangular channel around 4 oylindar is sclved andthe sesultis compared with analytical solution. Then the algoritam is extended ‘tose the compressible Euler Equations. Infernal flows in channels with cireular are bumps and an incident shock passing a eylinder are simulated, transonie flows over NACAOOI2 and RAE2822 sinful are also solved. The hybrid solutions to these problems agree well with the finite volume and meshes solutions MATERIALS AND METHODS. ‘Spatial Diseretsization In 1993, the study of Least Square Gridiess Method (LSGM) was firstly conducted by Batina in USA to solve the compressible flows over aerodynamic configurations (Batins, 1993). To appeoximate the spatial derivatives of fluid flow governing equation, LSCM is also adopted in the resent studySpace Res. J, 1 (I): 1-16, 2008 : ees : Fig. 1: Typical meshless cloud of points Fora set ofiegularly distributed points, the clouds are generated by the method proposed in the reference (Xingxian and Hongguan, 2004). Atypical seven-node cloud is presented in Fig. 1, point Tis the center and point I to point 6 axe the satellites. The parameter ris the reference rads of the loud. For a fimetion f(x,y), is Gist order putial derivatives at point [ean be estimated by the following least square fortulstion (Batina, 1993; Morinishi, 2001; Hongquan, 2002) at a, See 4 Bate © ‘Where, Mis the total numberof the points in the cloud, For second order partial derivatives, they ean ‘be approximated in the same way by link re: @ Onthe Cartesian grid, suppose bund hare the space step along x and y axes spectively. Then 4 and are used to represent the point serial along x and y directions, respectively. And so the partial Aerivatives of fixy) at point G,) can be computed using the central difference scheme 2/2 2/9 eo g/g 8