Research progress of smoothed particle hydrodynamics and its applications in high-speed hydrodynamic problems

High-speed hydrodynamics and its corresponding complex fluid-structure interactions (FSI) are challenging topics associated with naval architecture and ocean engineering, typically characterized by large deformations, moving boundaries, strong convection and multiple fluid media. Since traditional mesh-based numerical methods possess limited ability to accurately simulate such strongly nonlinear problems, it is imperative to develop meshless numerical schemes with high fidelity and robustness to tackle this dilemma. As one of the most promising truly meshless methods, smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) shows apparent advantages in high-speed hydrodynamics problems thanks to its Lagrangian nature. In the present paper, the attention is particularly focused on the latest advances of several SPH techniques with respect to the following high-speed hydrodynamics problems: vessel-induced waves and wakes, the water entry process of projectiles, and underwater explosion and its resulting structural damage; in addition, the future prospects of SPH are provided in the last part of the paper.