Simulation of the Fluid–Structure Interaction in Fishing Nets

Abstract

Abstract: The main objective of this work is the development of a Computational Fluid Dynamics model coupled with a structural code for the simulation and optimization of fishing gears. As fishing nets are highly deformable structures under the influence of incident water, the use of merely empirical correlations for hydrodynamic forces, such as those used in many structural codes, does not provide precise predictions for their behaviour. The coupling between the structural problem and the hydrodynamic effects makes it necessary to tackle the problem through a new “fluid–structure interaction” approach, which is described here. Preliminary results obtained with the CFD model are also presented.