Coupled three-dimensional discrete element-lattice Boltzmann methods for fluid-solid interaction with polyhedral particles

Interaction between solid particles and fluid is of fundamental interest to scientists and engineers in many different applications—cardiopulmonary flows, aircraft and automobile aerodynamics, and wind loading on buildings to name a few. In geomechanics, particle shape significantly affects both particle-particle and particle-fluid interaction. Herein, we present a generalized method for modeling the interaction of arbitrarily shaped polyhedral particles and particle assemblages with fluid using a coupled discrete element method (DEM) and lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) formulation. The coupling between DEM and LBM is achieved through a new algorithm based on a volume-fraction approach to consider three-dimensional convex polyhedral particles moving through fluid. The algorithm establishes the interaction using linear programming and simplex integration and is validated against experimental data. This approach to modeling the interaction between complex polyhedral particles and fluid is shown to be accurate for directly simulating hydrodynamic forces on the particles.