On methodology and application of smoothed particle hydrodynamics in fluid, solid and biomechanics

Abstract

Smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH), as one of the earliest meshfree methods, has broad prospects in modeling a wide range of problems in engineering and science, including extremely large deformation problems such as explosion and high velocity impact. This paper aims to provide a comprehensive overview on the recent advances of SPH method in the fields of fluid, solid, and biomechanics. First, the theory of SPH is described, and improved algorithms of SPH with high accuracy are summarized, such as the finite particle method (FPM). Techniques used in SPH method for simulating fluid, solid and biomechanics problems are discussed. The δ-SPH method and Godunov SPH (GSPH) based on the Riemann model are described for handling instability issues in fluid dynamics. Next, the interface contact algorithm for fluid-structure interaction is also discussed. The common algorithms for improving the tensile instability and the framework of total Lagrangian SPH are examined for challenging tasks in solid mechanics. In terms of biomechanics, the governing equations and the coupling forces based on SPH method are exemplified. Then, various typical engineering applications and recent advances are elaborated. The application of fluid mainly depicts the interaction between fluid and rigid body as well as elastomer, while some complicated fluid-structure interaction ocean engineering problems are also presented. In the aspect of solid dynamics, galaxy, geotechnical mechanics, explosion and impact, and additive manufacturing are summarized. Furthermore, the recent advancements of SPH method in biomechanics, such as hemodynamically and gut health, are discussed in general. In addition, to overcome the limitations of computational efficiency and computational scale, the multiscale adaptive resolution, the parallel algorithm and the automated mesh generation are addressed. The development of SPH software in China and abroad is also summarized. Finally, the challenging task of SPH method in the future is summarized. In future research work, the establishment of multi-scale coupled SPH model and deep learning technology in solid and biodynamics will be the focus of expanding the engineering applications of SPH methods.

Keywords: Biomechanics; Computational efficiency; High-accuracy algorithms; Smoothed particle hydrodynamics; Solid mechanics.