This award is funded under the American recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5)
The research objective of this Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) project is to develop analytic sensitivity methods for numerical simulations of fluid-structure interaction. The sensitivity methods can be employed in the design and assessment of coastal structures. It is also need in reliability and optimization applications for performance-based engineering. The research approach is based on direct differentiation of the equations that govern the particle finite element method, followed by numerical verification and experimental validation at the tsunami wave basin in the O.H. Hinsdale Wave Research Laboratory at Oregon State University. Deliverables include modeling, analysis, and visualization tools for the sensitivity of fluid-structure interaction to uncertain fluid and structural parameters; high performance computing methods for fluid-structure interaction sensitivity; publication of research results for wider dissemination to other researchers and practitioners; and documentation of the approach for application by others.
The results of this research, if successful, will provide further insight in to how coastal structures respond to loads generated by tsunami runup and hurricane storm surge, potentially leading to improved design codes. The development of modeling and analysis tools in the open source software framework, OpenSees, will make the results of this project readily available to other researchers involved in fluid-structure interaction studies. Graduate students will benefit from this project by way of classroom instruction in fluid-structure interaction sensitivity and active participation in the research. The project will expose undergraduate engineering students to computing and visualization early in their academic career and an interdisciplinary senior capstone course will be developed in order to make civil engineering students cognizant of software engineering in professional practice. The outreach and ambassador components of the project aim to attract high school students interested in computing to pursue a degree in civil engineering.
