| Recent improvements in MEMS technology is making it possible to develop microscale mechanical devices capable of operating in gases and liquids at low Reynolds number. In the current work a method has been developed to be able to simulate the operation of such devices computationally. The method imposes arbitrary solid/fluid boundaries on Cartesian grids, thus avoiding complexities with body-fitted grid methods. This thesis explains the numerical approximations used for solving the governing equations, the discretization of the equations, and the implementation of the immersed fluid/solid boundary conditions. The method is validated by comparing computed results of flows over an infinitely thin plate, a cylinder, and a sphere, and it is found that the method predicts both steady and unsteady flows with sufficient accuracy. The method performs similarly whether the solid objects translates through the grid or remains fixed in the grid with an imposed flow field.; The method was then used to compute the fluid dynamics and force generation of a microscale flapping cantilever beam propulsion device. Both two-dimensional and three-dimensional flow features were explored, and the investigation showed that the cantilever produces thrust and can therefore potentially be used as a simple propulsion mechanism. Finally, the method was used to simulate an idealized model of fruit fly wing in hovering flight. The computed flow fields and force dynamics compared well with an equivalent experimental model, although some discrepancies were found due to a thicker wing being used in the computations for numerical reasons. |
