Moving/deforming mesh techniques for computational fluid dynamics and heat transfer

This report represents a summary of a Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) project to develop general purpose unstructured grid techniques for solving free and moving boundary problems in computational fluid dynamics and heat transfer. Both control volume finite element and Galerkin finite element techniques were utilized. A very robust technique for keeping the deforming mesh from tangling was implemented; the mesh was treated as a fictitious elastic body. Sample results for an ablating nose tip and buoyancy driven flow in a box are presented. References to additional publications resulting from this work are included.