Using an unsteady panel method with fluid-structure interaction problems

The application of Unsteady Panel Methods as analytical tools in studies of sub-sonic fluid-structure interactions is considered. An example of a fiat rigid prate in a uniform flow is studied with an implicit discrete vortex model. A quasisteady approximation to this unsteady model is derived by neglecting the influence of the wake created behind the plate. The qualitative behavior described by this analytical model is compared to numerical simulations of the unsteady model. It is concluded that the wake changes the qualitative behavior in some regions of the parameter space, and that an analytical tool in those regions has to include an explicit wake model.