AN IMPULSE-BASED APPROXIMATION OF FLUID MOTION DUE TO BOUNDARY FORCES

The motion of an incompressible, inviscid fluid in a region surrounded by a massless, elastic membrane can be approximated by transmitting t he effect of the boundary forces to the fluid through vortex dipoles. We present a Lagrangian numerical method for approximating this motion based on the impulse (a.k.a, magnetization) variables introduced by B uttke. In particular, we explain the correspondence between impulse va riables and vortex dipoles with a prescribed dipole moment. Numerical examples that illustrate the application of impulse variables in this context are given. (C) 1996 Academic Press, Inc.