Mesh deformation based on radial basis function interpolation

A new mesh movement algorithm for unstructured grids is developed which is based on interpolating displacements of the boundary nodes to the whole mesh with radial basis functions (RBF’s). A small system of equations, only involving the boundary nodes, has to be solved and no grid-connectivity information is needed. The method can handle large mesh deformations caused by translations, rotations and deformations, both for 2D and 3D meshes. However, the performance depends on the used RBF. The best accuracy and robustness with the highest efficiency are obtained with a C² continuous RBF with compact support, closely followed by the thin plate spline. The deformed meshes are suitable for flow computations as is shown by performing calculations around a NACA-0012 airfoil.