Patches to make the transition from OpenFOAM to CSD softwares
 

Hello Guys,

I find OpenFOAM really interesting and accurate to model fluid mechanics phenomena such as high winds or so. I am quite new to this software/tool so I try to learn and find my way to the top with the tutorials and forum posts, but I still have some problems.
But in general, the modeling of the physical phenomenon is only the first step of a simulation, and the study of the interaction with the structural elements is the following step.

What I am trying to achieve is the conversion from OpenFOAM simulation data to another software such as Abaqus/LS-DYNA for the structure response modeling.
I think that the easiest way to explain it is with an example:

THIS IS AN EXAMPLE:
I have a linear increasing wind speed profile based on altitude, which I need to apply on one face of a simple 10x10 meter square building (40 m high), which is quite simplified (4 vertical faces and a roof, no window, no door).
I use OpenFOAM for the wind simulation and I need to record the pressure applied by this wind as a function of time on all the faces, to apply these pressures on another CSD software and see the consequences on the building modeled with real materials (imposed).

THIS IS HOW I TRY TO SOLVE THIS EXAMPLE
I first thought about the steps I have undertaken in order to avoid doing the same thing uselessly multiple times:
Step 1: Model the building on a modeling software and export it as a STL geometry. DONE
Step 2: Define the areas where I will record the mean pressure applied as a function of time (let’s begin with 1 x 1 meter areas). I wrote the coordinates of the different areas on my notebook. DONE
Step 3: Create these recording areas on OpenFOAM. NOT DONE

THIS IS WHERE I AM STUCK
My first problem is that the meshed geometry with snappyHexMesh doesn’t give me squared cells, so I will need to import the meshed geometry directly, but this problem should be easily resolved as I saw some tutorials on the internet.
My second problem, which I need your help with, is how I can indicate to OpenFOAM the cells that will form my pressure recording areas (1 x 1 m areas, which correspond approximately to 10 x 10 cells for nom), and how I can specify the recording method in it.
At first, I wanted to record the pressure in one point, at the center of the pressure recording areas, but in some areas, the pressure in this center point is quite different from the average pressure applied in the pressure recording areas.
A colleague told me that he saw a note about some “load patch” some time ago, which may be used to solve this problem, but I am not sure about what it refers.
I found some post in this forum but it was mostly associated with boundary conditions, inlet flow or outlet flow, so I didn’t find it really interesting for my use.
Does someone have some suggestions?

Thank you,
Have a nice week.

Up, does someone have any idea ?