Numerical modeling of structural body deformation under free surface flow based on volume of fluid–discrete element method coupling

In this work, we proposed a numerical model based on the coupling of the volume of fluid–discrete element method and bond particle method (BPM). The simulation of particle bonding and the structural body formation process had been presented, and the inter-particle bonding mechanism was introduced. We also tested dam-busting impact elastic and wedge plates at high Reynolds numbers (1.26 × 107 and 2.16 × 106) and compared the results with numerical simulations. The results show that the model has mean errors of 3.9% and 6.5% for the large and the micro-deformations, respectively. It is in perfect agreement with the curve trends of the test and keeps good convergence for different particle sizes. In addition, we also used the model used to study the hydrodynamic changes in underwater box net structures in offshore aquaculture, and the deformation kinematic properties of box nets under different material strengths were evaluated. This numerical model of this study provides the effective theoretical support and engineering guidance for the further study of the behavior of structural bodies under hydrodynamic action.