A simplified version of the level set method (SLSM) is proposed for interfaces moving with prescribed motion e.g., deployment of a spoiler. The core of the proposed method is the signed distance function which is constructed by direct computation for all vertices in the mesh. The main advantage of the proposed algorithm is that it avoids the need for re-meshing and its associated problems as well as it could be used equally with all types of grids. The SLSM is successfully coupled to the finite element method flow solver, and the resulting hybrid solver is used to study the flow field during the spoiler deployment of a NACA0012 airfoil. Finally, two algorithms are proposed for force calculations over moving interfaces with new definitions for the smeared Dirac-Delta and Heaviside functions. At the moment of spoiler deployment, an abrupt rise in the lift force is observed and interpreted. The results assure the robustness of the proposed hybrid solver.
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