Fourth International Conference on Fluid Structure Interaction (Incorporating the Free and Moving Boundary Problems Seminar)

14 - 16 May 2007
The New Forest, UK

 Overview

The fifth International Conference on Fluid Structure Interaction took place recently in the New Forest at the Wessex Institute of Technology campus.  

The Conference was organised by Professor Subrata Chakrabarti of the University of Illinois at Chicago and Offshore Structure Analysis Inc., and Professor Carlos Brebbia, Director of WIT.  

The meeting was opened by Professor Chakrabarthi who explained the aims of the Conference, chiefly to promote the international exchange of information and knowledge on fluid structure interaction problems, giving experts from different application fields the opportunity to interact with one another and to provide valuable cross breeding of ideas and techniques.

 Opening Addresses

Professor Chakrabarthi reminded the delegates that the first conference took place in Halkidiki in 2001, followed by one in Cádiz in 2003 and the last one in 2005 in La Coruña, which is also in Spain.  The conferences have always been very successful and are of a very specialized nature.

Professor Brebbia welcomed the delegates to the Institute’s campus.  He explained the many activities of WIT, other than conference organisation.  These include training at Doctoral and Master level, research and support to industry. Training programmes are frequently arranged in conjunction with different universities or research institutions abroad.  The Institute’s research is supported by international as well as British organisations. WIT has been particularly successful in attracting funds from the EU through its different research divisions.  

Professor Brebbia referred to the efforts made by WIT in order to strengthen the links between physical sciences and humanities.  One of the most important activities in this regard has been the launching of three new journals.  The first is the International Journal of Ecodynamics, in conjunction with the University of Siena group headed by Professor Enzo Tiezzi, and based on the work of Ilya Prigogine, Nobel Prize Winner.  The Journal aims to provide a forum for the further development of Prigogine’s ideas, particularly in the field of evolutionary processes.  

The second Journal, also of an interdisciplinary nature, is the International Journal of Sustainable Development and Planning, set up in collaboration with the University of Thessaly Group working on these topics.  

The third, newly launched, is the Design and Nature Journal and its main objective is to learn from nature.   

All the Journals compliment the series of books published by WIT Press, the publishing arm of the Institute.  They are of a trans-disciplinary nature and will help to bridge the current gap between physical sciences and humanities.  

Professor Brebbia also referred to the Prigogine Medal, launched in honour of the Nobel Prize winner by WIT and the University of Siena.  The fourth award is to be presented during the ECOSUD Conference at the University of Coimbra and the recipient is Professor Robert Ulanowicz of the University of Maryland.  

A Conference which recently took place in Bariloche ( Argentina) addressed the topics of resource management, sustainable development and ecological hazards.  It was called “Ravage of the Planet” for short to stress the concern of the research community regarding the current state of the world.  It was opened by Nobel Prize Winner Dr Adolfo Perez Esquivel who stressed the importance of bridging the gap between science and society.  At the conclusion of the Conference, a statement called the “Patagonia Declaration” was prepared.  One of its paragraphs refers to the creation of a scientific advisory group for communities or organisations in need of help.  Professor Brebbia invited the delegates to join this important initiative.

 Conference Topics

The conference sessions covered a series of topics:  

• Hydrodynamic forces
• Offshore structures
• Slip dynamics
• Offshore engineering
• Acoustics and noise
• Computational methods
• Response of structures including fluid dynamics
• Flow induced vibrations
• Experimental studies and validation  

 Invited Presentations

There were a number of invited presentations that helped to enhance the meeting:  

• “Steady wave drift force on basic objects of symmetry”, by S. Chakrabarti, Offshore Structure Analysis Inc, USA
• “The effect of radiation velocity potentials on the drift force on a submerged sphere”, by M. Rahman, University of Dalhousie, Canada
• “Comparison of three probability models for offshore structural response due to Morison wave loading”, by G. Najafian, University of Liverpool, UK
• “Response of free standing flexible cylinders to waves”, by J.M. Roesset, Texas A&M University, USA
• “Development of SCR VIV in a changing flow field”, by J.M. Niedzwecki, Texas A&M University, USA
• “Fluid-structure interaction challenges in offshore deep water and LNG developments”, by B. Buchner, Offshore Marin, The Netherlands
• “Vortex- and wake- induced vibrations of deep water risers”, by J.R. Chaplin, University of Southampton, UK.

 Keynote Address by Dr Bas Buchner

• Large floating structures
• Different types of structures in close proximity
• Complex coupling between those structures
• Very long riser systems
• Use of control systems, such as dynamic positioning
• Application in extreme environmental conditions of winds, waves and currents

Recent disasters in the Gulf of Mexico highlighted the need for a better understanding of extreme wave heights.  This is an important and challenging area.  Dr Buchner described some of the new computational techniques used to couple non-linear wave problems with floating structures.  The accurate coupling of the wave loading and structural response is essential.  

Another important area of research is the analysis of vortex induced vibrations.  

A new area of research is the interaction between wave and flow problems, which occurs when structures, such as ships and platforms are positioned near each other or in the case of moored vessels.  The gap between these acts as damping zones.  Wave motion for instance will disturb the pattern of vortex shedding.  

The keynote address was very well received and was followed by a large number of questions and comments.

 ISAC Dinner

The International Scientific Advisory Committee (ISAC) of the Conference met over dinner. They discussed changes to the conference topics and the appointment of new members, as well as possible locations for reconvening the meeting in 2009. There was general agreement that the topics were appropriate and that the next conference was to be held in Europe. WIT’s Conference Division will investigate possible locations and venues.  

 Conference Dinner

The Conference dinner took place at Rhinefield House, one of the great houses of the Forest built at the end of 1800s on the site of one of the old hunting lodges.  The house has the aspect of a neo-gothic castle and is now a hotel.  The most impressive room is the guest hall with a hammer beam roof resembling the one in Westminster Hall in London.  The dining room is beautifully panelled with a large carving above the mantelpiece of the defeat of the Spanish Armada.  Other smaller rooms are decorated in Italian and French styles, the most surprising being the Alhambra room inspired by the Palace of the same name in Granada.  The walls have the type of gesso work associated with Mudajar architecture.

After an excellent dinner, Professor Chakrabarthi thanked the delegates for coming and proposed a toast to WIT.  Professor Brebbia responded with a short address and presented the delegates with a piece of pottery made by an artist from the New Forest.  The pieces, which were specially made for the occasion, are produced with local clay, glazes made by the potter and fired in an authentic woodfire oven.  He also presented the participants with a copy of his recent book on Patagonia.

 Publication of Papers