Modeling vortex-induced vibrations of branched structures by coupling a 3D-corotational frame finite element formulation with wake-oscillators

Branched structures are present in a diverse set of problems, from modeling branch pipe connections to simulating tree dynamics. Soft corals like the Bipinnate sea plume, have a branched geometry and are soft enough to bend under the waves. Due to their circular cross section, a vortex street forms in the coral’s wake inducing vibrations of its branches. Despite extensive studies on VIV in straight geometries, the three-dimensional (3D) dynamics of flexible branched structures remains uninvestigated. In this numerical and experimental study, we develop a novel formulation for the accurate computation of in-line and cross-flow VIV of frame structures undergoing large deformation. The finite element approach is used to model arbitrarily complex geometries of branched frame structures. Our formulation allows to model complex geometries with forks or sharp angles. The consistent 3D corotational formulation for frame elements computes the internal, inertial and hydrodynamic forces. A wake-oscillator approach models the near wake dynamics with fluctuating fluid forces on the structure in the in-line and cross-flow directions. The drag and lift coefficients follow distributed Van der Pol oscillators. Moreover, we implement the numerical resolution procedure in the open-source library ONSAS. The present formulation and numerical resolution procedure is validated by solving three examples, including comparisons with an analytical solution, a wake-oscillator, and experimental data from the literature. We also conduct experiments of a flexible and elastic cylinder clamped inside a water tunnel under a constant uniform flow. Amplitudes and power spectral density of the tip transverse displacements are compared with the model prediction. Finally, the proposed formulation is applied on a cylinder with two branches. The simulations demonstrate a multi-frequency response with higher amplitudes of displacements when additional branches are incorporated onto the cylinder, emphasizing the significance of considering VIV in nature and engineering applications for such geometries.