Recent developments on the visualization of computed fluid pressures acting on structures with embedded FSI algorithms in EUROPLEXUS

This report presents some recent developments on the visualization of fluid pressures and other fluid field properties acting on structures resulting from numerical simulations using Fluid-Structure Interaction (FSI) algorithms of the embedded type in the EUROPLEXUS code. The EUROPLEXUS code (also abbreviated as EPX) is jointly developed by the French Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique (CEA DMT Saclay) and by EC-JRC. Its application domain is the numerical simulation of fast transient phenomena such as explosions, crashes and impacts in complex three-dimensional fluid-structure systems. Recently, EPX is being used to simulate the effect of blasts on buildings,.The design of structures to sustain the effects of explosions in complex geometries, like urban environments, commonly relies on large-scale numerical simulations, since the blast wave propagation cannot be easily evaluated through analytical or empirical formulas due to manifestation of complex phenomena such as reflections, shadowing and channelling. The motivation behind the analyses of accidental or deliberate explosions in urban environments may be either of forensic nature (e.g., defining the charge size of a terrorist attack that could assist the emergency response plan implementation), or vulnerability assessments, or the design of protective structures (also related to urban planning). Moreover, that type of analysis can be used for demonstration purposes in training authorities responsible of public space protection, providing insight and illustration of identified explosive threats within urban settings. The JRC is developing a method and software known as the Intermediate Blast Tool (IBT) that al- lows an easier and faster, semi-automated preliminary blast assessment by combining already existing tools. The user interacts with the IBT via an access-controlled webpage. A critical component of the IBT is the visualization of blast over-pressures and other field data acting on the structures affected by the blast. The present report focuses on the calculation of such data via embedded FSI algorithms and on their visualization, by providing simplified and general input procedures tailored in particular for the IBT.