Fluid-Structure Interaction (FSI) is a complex phenomenon observed in various natural and engineering systems. Examples found in the literature include insect wings, swimming fish, human heart valve flutter and blood flow. All systems share physiological components which can include thin, highly deformable, and three-dimensional features which in some cases are exposed to turbulent flows. To this date, reliable models for simulating this type of FSI problems are still a challenge due to the intricate nature of the coupled systems.

This seminar will present research conducted in an effort to achieve high-fidelity simulations of the transport of thin membranes in centrifugal pumps. The IBM techniques developed needed to model FSI in high Reynolds incompressible flows and able to handle collision between the immersed flexible membrane and moving rigid boundaries. Other challenges included low interface resolution, spurious force oscillations, low-density ratio. The presentation will provide an overview of the numerical solution and include a review of test cases used for validation. It will aim to suggest avenues for future research.