A team has developed a script-based simulation framework that couples computational fluid dynamics (CFD) with computational structural mechanics (CSM) to study the transient vibrations that appear in liquid-filled pipelines subjected to water hammer. Water hammer is a sudden overpressure generated when the fluid flow changes abruptly, for example when a valve closes, and which travels along the pipe as a pressure wave. Its effect on the pipeline structure is a classic fluid-structure interaction problem.

The work addresses a frequent limitation in this kind of analysis: purely hydraulic models describe the pressure wave well but do not capture the dynamic response of the pipe wall, while structural models usually impose the fluid as a simplified load. A bidirectional coupling between both domains, on the other hand, makes it possible to represent how the pressure wave deforms the pipe and how that deformation in turn feeds back into the fluid.

The methodology relies on a scripting environment that automates the exchange of data between the CFD solver and the CSM solver during the transient simulation. This approach avoids manual intervention at each coupling step and facilitates the reproducibility of the analysis, something particularly useful for exploring different valve-closing scenarios, fluid properties or pipe geometries.

The framework makes it possible to extract the vibrational response of the pipe during the transient, information relevant to assessing the structural integrity of pumping installations, water supply networks and industrial systems where water hammer is a frequent cause of fatigue, leaks and failures. The availability of an automated, script-based workflow opens the door to systematic parametric studies and to its integration into pipeline design and diagnostic tools.