On the stability of a loosely-coupled scheme based on a Robin interface condition for fluid-structure interaction

Abstract We consider a loosely-coupled algorithm for fluid-structure interaction based on a Robin interface condition for the fluid problem (explicit Robin-Neumann scheme). We study the dependence of the stability of this method on the interface parameter in the Robin condition. In particular, for a model problem we find sufficient conditions for instability and stability of the method. In the latter case, we find a stability condition relating the time discretization parameter, the interface parameter, and the fluid and structure densities. Numerical experiments confirm the theoretical findings and highlight optimal choices of the interface parameter that guarantee accurate solutions.