LBRG

Big news from the KLIPER 2026 competition!

The LBRG at KIT is honored to be recognized for supporting engineering talent. This award aimes to promote original diploma theses centering around current challenges in the field of energy engineering, for example showcasing modern solutions into fields such as conventional and renewable energy, energy machinery and equipment, as well as CFD, 3D-Design and energy efficient construction.

We congratulate Maksymilian Zarychta for his work titled “Analysis of the Effect of Water Nozzle Geometry on Liquid Jet Characteristics Using LBM Modeling” („Analiza wpływu geometrii dyszy wodnej na charakter strugi cieczy z wykorzystaniem modelowania LBM”). Using the power of OpenLB, Maksymilian explored critical nozzle geometries, bridging the gap between theoretical CFD and practical energy solutions.

Thank you, for your amazing work Maksymilian!

The video may be found here.

LBRG

We are excited to share that Andreas Nettekoven has joined our team as a new doctoral researcher back in March. His research focuses on 3D fluid-structure interaction, as well as simulation of particle flows with LBM.

He started his academic career right here at KIT, where he completed his Bachelor's and Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering, with a specialization in continuum mechanics and simulations.

Welcome to the team, Andreas!
 

LBRG

We are excited to announce the publication of "𝗘𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗳𝗹𝘂𝗶𝗱 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘀𝗶𝗺𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝘃𝗼𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗳𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝗼𝘀𝗰𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗵𝗼𝗺𝗼𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗶𝘇𝗲𝗱 𝗟𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗕𝗼𝗹𝘁𝘇𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗻 𝗠𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗱" by Adrian Kummerländer*, Bogac Tur*, Maik Haase, Fedor Bukreev, Michael Döllinger, Mathias J. Krause, and Stefan Kniesburges (* joint first authors) in 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝘂𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗠𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗱𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗱 𝗠𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗰𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴.

The paper addresses the unique challenges of 𝗺𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗽𝗵𝗼𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, which are typically constrained by high computational costs and numerical difficulties handling vocal fold (VF) contact. It is motivated by the need for systematic studies of phonation across different ages and genders that were previously infeasible with traditional approaches.

The main findings include:

- Novel FSI Solver: A coupling strategy that integrates a homogenized Lattice Boltzmann Method (HLBM) with a Six-Mass-Model (6MM) by mapping structural dynamics into a time-dependent porosity field.

- Dynamic Porosity: This approach implicitly handles complex geometry changes and VF contact, bypassing the need for expensive remeshing or complex interface tracking.

- High Efficiency: The solver achieved a throughput of up to 60 oscillation cycles per hour on a single laptop GPU (NVIDIA RTX 2000 Ada).

- Physiological Fidelity: Simulations produced stable, self-sustained oscillations at a fundamental frequency (f0​) of ≈248 Hz, achieving complete glottal closure and credible peak contact forces (≈27 mN).

This optimized workflow shifts the focus from isolated case studies to large-scale parameter sweeps, opening new doors for clinical and voice-science applications.

The article is published 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 in the journal Computer Methods in Applied Mechanics and Engineering and is freely available at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cma.2026.119009 .

Video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqCxjtOzZVs .