Author(s): Peyman Peykani; Donatella Termini; Julien Chauchat; Remi Chassagne
Linked Author(s): Donatella Termini
Keywords: No Keywords
Abstract: The analysis of turbulent flow over complex natural beds requires numerical frameworks capable of directly resolving roughness-induced structures. This study applies OpenFOAM to simulate flow over a real non-uniform gravel bed using a high-resolution STL (STereoLithography) surface extracted from 3D scanning. Both Unsteady Reynolds-Averaged Navier–Stokes (URANS) and Large Eddy Simulation (LES) were performed. A snappyHexMesh-based workflow was developed to resolve the near-bed geometry with local refinement down to 1 mm. Results demonstrate that OpenFOAM accurately represents mean velocity structure and turbulence characteristics. The LES model more effectively captures vortex shedding, near-bed mixing, and anisotropic turbulent motions. The developed open-source workflow highlights the capability of customized CFD to reproduce gravel-bed hydrodynamics with full access to solver settings and mesh controls.
Year: 2026