Conventional computational methods often create a dilemma for fluid-structure interaction problems. Typically, solids are simulated using a Lagrangian approach with grid that moves with the material, whereas fluids are simulated using an Eulerian approach with a fixed spatial grid, requiring some type of interfacial coupling between the two different perspectives. Here, a fully Eulerian method for simulating structures immersed in a fluid will be presented. By introducing a reference map variable to model finite-deformation constitutive relations in the structures on the same grid as the fluid, the interfacial coupling problem is highly simplified. The method is particularly well suited for simulating soft, highly-deformable materials and many-body contact problems, and several examples from engineering and biology will be presented. This is joint work with Ken Kamrin (MIT).

Bio: Chris Rycroft is an Assistant Professor of Applied Mathematics in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Harvard University. From 2010–2013, he was a Morrey Assistant Professor in the UC Berkeley Mathematics Department, and he was involved in the Bay Area Physical Sciences-Oncology where he collaborated with several experimental groups at Berkeley and UC San Francisco, on using computational modeling to understand the role of mechanical forces between cells and their environment.