Lecture 4 Meshing Methods

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Introduction to ANSYS Meshing

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Meshing Methods
What you will learn from this presentation

Algorithms for Tetrahedral Meshing Different methods for Hex Meshing CutCell meshing Meshing for 2D and shell analysis Meshing Multiple Bodies Direct Meshing Interoperability

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Preprocessing Workflow
Geometry Creation OR Geometry Import Geometry Operations Meshing Solver

Sketches and Planes 3D Operations

Extrude, Revolve, Sweep, etc

3D Operations
Boolean, Body Operations, Split, etc

Meshing Methods
Hybrid Mesh: Tet, Prisms, Pyramids

Hexa Dominant, Sweep meshing

Geometry Import Options

Direct CAD/BiDirectional CAD

Geometry Cleanup and Repair

Automatic Cleanup Merge, Connect, Projection, Flow Volume Extraction, etc

Assembly Meshing

Global Mesh Settings Local Mesh Settings

Sizing, Body/Sphere of Influence, Match Control, etc

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Inserting Methods
In the Outline, right click Mesh, Insert > Method
Select body in Details View Or, in the Graphics Window, Select body(s) , right click, Insert > Method Body automatically selected in Details View

Method is selectable using the drop down box

Select, Automatic, Tetrahedrons, Hex Dominant, Sweep or Multizone (Automatic is used where no method has been explicitly specified)
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Automatic Method

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Automatic Method
Method Behavior

Combination of Tetrahedron Patch

Conforming and Sweep Method Automatically identifies sweepable bodies and creates sweep mesh All non-sweepable bodies meshed using tetrahedron method Details of Tetrahedron Patch Conforming & Sweep in following slides

Access

Default Method where not specified Can specify by inserting Method and
setting to Automatic

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Tetrahedrons Method

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Tetrahedrons Method
Method Behavior

Generates tetrahedral elements - two algorithms are

available: Patch Conforming Patch Independent

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Tetrahedrons Method: Patch Conforming

Method & Algorithm Behavior

Bottom up approach: Meshing process starts

from edges, faces and then volume All faces and their boundaries are respected (conformed to) and meshed Good for high quality (clean) CAD geometries Sizing is defined by global and/or local controls

Access

Insert Method and set to Tetrahedrons

Additional drop down box for algorithm choice appears Set Patch Conforming Patch Conforming Method listed in Outline under Mesh object
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Tetrahedrons Method: Patch Independent

Method & Algorithm Behavior

Top down approach: Volume mesh generated

first and projected on to faces and edges Faces, edges and vertices not necessarily conformed to Controlled by tolerance and scoping of Named Selection, load or other object Good for gross de-featuring of poor quality (dirty) CAD geometries Method Details contain sizing controls

Access

Insert Method and set to Tetrahedrons

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Additional drop down box for algorithm choice appears Set Patch Independent
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Tetrahedrons Method: Algorithm Comparison

Geometry containing small details Patch Conforming: All geometric detail is captured Patch Independent: Can ignore and defeature geometry

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Tetrahedrons Method: Control

Patch Conforming

Sizing
Mesh sizing for the Patch Conforming algorithm is defined by Global & Local Controls Automatic refinement based on curvature and/or proximity accessible in Global Controls Details of Global & Local Controls covered in separate lectures Choice of surface mesher algorithm in global controls
Proximity Curvature

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Tetrahedrons Method: Control

Patch Independent

Sizing
Sizing for the Patch Independent algorithm defined in Patch Independent Details Automatic curvature & proximity refinement option

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Tetrahedrons Method: Control

Patch Independent

Defeaturing Control
Set Mesh Based Defeaturing On Set Defeaturing Tolerance Assign Named Selections to selectively preserve geometry
Named Selection assigned and Defeaturing Tolerance = 0.03m. Features > 0.03m respected.

Defeaturing Tolerance Off

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Tetrahedrons Method: Inflation

Also referred to as Prism/Boundary Layers

Used to:
Resolve high gradients of flow variables and physics complexities in close vicinity of walls for CFD analysis Resolve thin air gaps in Electromagnetic analysis Resolve regions of high stress concentrations in Mechanical analysis

Inflation preview

Compatible with both Patch Conforming and Patch

Independent tetrahedron meshing methods Inflation layers can be generated from Tri and Quad surface mesh Inflation can be applied using Global and/or Local controls
Tet + Prisms
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Tetrahedrons Method: Application Examples

Patch Conforming Patch Independent

Clean CAD, accurate surface mesh

Dirty CAD, defeatured surface mesh

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Hex Meshing

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Introduction
Tet Mesh

Hex Meshing

Elements: 48K

Reduced element count

Faster convergence Elements aligned in direction of flow Improved Accuracy Reduced numerical error
Sweep Mesh Elements: 19K

Methods Available

Sweep MultiZone Hex Dominant (only for Mechanical)

Initial Requirements

Clean geometry
Interoperability between methods
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Sweep Meshing
Method Behavior
Sweep Path

Meshes source surface, sweeps through to the

target Generates hex/wedge elements Body must have topologically identical faces on two ends, (which act as source and target faces) Side faces must be mappable Only one source and one target face is allowed Alternative Thin sweep method can have multiple source and target faces covered later
Side Face(s) Target Face Source Face

Access

Insert Method and set to Sweep

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Sweep Meshing
Source/Target (Src/Trg Selection)

Automatic
ANSYS Meshing automatically finds source and target Manual Source & Manual Source and Target User selection (required for inflation) Automatic Thin & Manual Thin Multiple source and target faces

Sweep Direction
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Source Face

Target Face
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Sweep Meshing
Src/Trg Selection Behaviour

Automatic selection requires

that the application find the Source and Target. Specifying both Source & Target will accelerate meshing
Automatic Selection

Inflation
Must specify at least Source manually when using Inflation & Sweep Method Source surface edges are inflated then swept through volume, source must therefore be specified first

Sweep Mesh No inflation

Manual Selection

Sweep Mesh with inflation

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Sweep Meshing
Rotational Sweeping

Sweep meshes can also be

created by sweeping a Source around an axis Example: Src/Trg Selection Rotational sweep for sector geometry Rotational sweeping requires both Source & Target to be selected
Target Face Source Face

Sweep Path
Manual Source & Target Selection Sweep Mesh: Wedge and Hex elements

For both rotational and axial

sweeping Source & Target faces are colour coded when selected

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Sweep Meshing
Src/Trg Selection: Automatic Thin & Manual Thin

Selects an alternate sweep

algorithm Advantages Capable of sweeping multiple Source & Targets Can perform some automatic defeaturing Disadvantages For Multibody Parts only one division across the sweep is allowed Inflation & Sweep Bias not allowed
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Source Faces

Target

Source Faces Imprinted on Target

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Sweep Meshing
How to Identify Sweepable bodies

ANSYS Meshing can identify sweepable bodies automatically

Rotational Sweep bodies are not identified Righ click Mesh object in Outline and select Show > Sweepable Bodies

Geometry
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RMB on Mesh to find sweepable bodies

Sweepable bodies in green color

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Sweep Meshing
How to Ensure Bodies are Sweepable

Bodies which will not allow sweeping can be decomposed into a number
of topologically simpler sweepable bodies Decomposition can be performed in CAD/DM Example 1
Unsweepable body

Decomposed in CAD/DM Sweepable!

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Sweep Meshing
Example 2

T Junction Geometry Unsweepable

Decomposed in CAD/DM Sweepable!

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MultiZone Meshing
Method Behavior

Based on blocking approach used in ANSYS ICEM

CFD Hexa Automatically decomposes geometry Uses structured & unstructured blocks Generates structured hex mesh where possible, fills remaining region with unstructured mesh. Can have multiple source and target faces Can select source & target faces automatically or manually Block will be meshed by Hexa or Tetra depending on the Mesh Type (struct / free) Compatible with Program Controlled inflation

MultiZone Mesh

Access

Insert Method and set to Multizone

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MultiZone Meshing
Example 1

Single body automatically decomposed into three blocks Src/Trg Selection Automatic Results in all hex mesh Equivalent to manually decomposing by slicing off upper and lower cylinders to produce three bodies and applying sweep methods

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MultiZone Meshing
Example 2

Blend on central body, Multizone longer able to create

structured region Unstructured region referred to as Free Mesh Specify Type of Free Mesh Tetra, Hexa Core, Hexa Dominant Can specify type of surface mesh using Mapped Mesh Type (Hexa, Hexa/Prism, Prism)

Free Mesh Tetra

Free Mesh Hexa Core

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Assembly Meshing

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Assembly Meshing
Method Behavior

Meshes an entire model as single

process Methods covered so far are part or body based methods Two Algorithms CutCell & Tetrahedrons Physics & Solver must be CFD & FLUENT respectively

Access

Activated by selecting
CutCell/Tetrahedrons under Assembly Meshing Method

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Assembly Meshing
Controls

Physics/Solver set to CFD/Fluent Set Advanced Size Functions

Edge proximity sources accessible Inflation defined by Global or Local controls Combined Global & Local not supported CutCell Meshing controls Feature Capture (Program Controlled = 40) Use drop down box to specify smaller angle to capture more features, 0 to capture all. Tessellation (faceting) refinement Apply any required local size controls Statistics Use Orthogonal Quality
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Assembly Meshing: Characteristics

CutCell Meshing Characteristics

Creates a high fraction of hex and prismatic

cells Patch independent: Eliminates the need for pinch control and VT operations, tolerates overlapping bodies. Creates conformal meshes across parts in contact Eliminates the need for multi-body part generation in CAD Operates on parts, multi-body parts, etc. with new option to define virtual bodies Ability to create flow volumes from a closed set of bodies (sheet or solid) Eliminates the need for Boolean/Fill operations in CAD
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Assembly Meshing
Virtual Bodies - Example

Use of virtual body (material point) to extract a flow region directly from CAD

Assembly Handling faceedge connectivity Capping Face

Material point

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Assembly Meshing: Flow Volume Extraction

Using Virtual Bodies

1. Define a new Coordinate System 2. 3.

inside the Fluid Void Insert a Virtual Body Assign the Coordinate System to the Material Point in the details of the Virtual Body

Material Point

3 1
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Assembly Meshing Limitations

Cannot be used in combination with
other Meshing Methods Feature recovery limitations Sharp trailing edges and acute edges will produce a jagged mesh Recovering some features might lead to bad quality Prior to meshing the user is advised to resolve geometry features properly CAD/DM Avoid unnecessary geometry details Min size should be of smallest 3D feature, check and adjust if required.
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Interoperability
Neither Body or Surface of Influence are supported Inflation not supported on baffles or internal walls Ignored symmetry condition for meshing Failure in the CutCell meshing algorithm is almost always related to faceting issues in relation to the value of Min Size. Make sure that the value of Min Size truly represents the smallest size that you want the curvature and proximity size function to capture. More on Assembly Meshing in the Global Mesh Controls Lecture.
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2D Meshing

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Methods for 2D Meshing

Patch Conforming Methods
Automatic Method (Quad Dominant) & All Triangles Advanced size functions and local size controls supported
Automatic Triangles

Uniform Quad/Tri

Uniform Quad

Patch Independent Methods

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Uniform Quad/Tri & Uniform Quad Advanced size functions and local size controls NOT supported
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2D Meshing Control & Inflation

Mapped Surface Meshes

Fully mapped surface meshes and

specified edge sizing/intervals can be obtained by applying local controls Covered in the Local Mesh Controls lecture

Mapped Control

2D mesh with Inflation

Same method as applied in the 3D

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sweep method Boundary edges are inflated Support for global and local inflation controls
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2D Mesh Solver Guidelines

ANSYS FLUENT ANSYS CFX

For a 2D analysis in FLUENT generate

the mesh in the XY plane (z=0). For axisymmetric applications y 0 and make sure that the domain is axisymmetric about x axis In ANSYS Meshing, by default, a thickness is defined for a surface body and is visible when the view is not normal to the XY Plane. This is purely graphical no thickness will be present when the mesh is exported into the FLUENT 2D solver

For 2D analysis in CFX, create a

volume mesh (using Sweep) that is 1 element thick in the symmetry direction, i.e., Thin Block for Planar 2D Thin Wedge (< 5) for 2D Axissymmetric

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Meshing Multiple Bodies

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Selective Meshing
What is Selective Meshing?

Selectively picking bodies and meshing them incrementally

Why use Selective Meshing?

Bodies can be meshed individually Mesh seeding from meshed bodies influences neighboring bodies (user
has control) Automated meshing can be used at any time to mesh all remaining bodies When controls are added, only affected body meshes require remeshing Selective body updating Extensive mesh method interoperability

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Selective Meshing
Local meshing

Mesh or clear meshes on individual bodies Subsequent bodies will use the attached face
mesh The meshing results (cell types) will depend on the meshing order Adjust/add controls able to remesh only affected body Select body(s) right click for context menu
Meshing first the pipe then the block Meshing first the block then the pipe

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Selective Meshing
Recording Mesh Operations

When using selective meshing the order

of meshing can be recorded for automated future use Right click Mesh in the Outline for Context Menu

Worksheet is generated recording mesh

operations as ordered steps Named Selections are automatically created for each meshed body for reference in the Worksheet Example; Meshing cylinder then block
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Selective Meshing
Selective Body Updating

For large models, Compare Parts on

Update option saves time remeshing only bodies that have changed Access option through Tools > Options
Associatively: Accommodates for body topology change (add/delete) (slower) Non-Associatively: Assumes no topology change (faster)

Example; Geometric change to block.

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Workshop 2 Introducing Meshing Methods

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Appendix
Contents

Hex Dominant Meshing Sweep Meshing Biasing & Complex Geometry Surface Meshing with Inflation Mesh Connections Shell Meshing Patch Independent Tetrahedrons - Transition

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Hex Dominant Meshing

The mesh contains a combination of tet and pyramid cells with majority
of cell being of hex type Useful for bodies which cannot be swept Useful for CFD applications not requiring inflation Useful for CFD in the range of acceptable Skewness or Orthogonal Quality mesh quality metrics

Access

RMB on Mesh Insert Method Definition Method

Hex Dominant

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Hex Dominant Meshing

Example:

Geometry with valve inside

Due to valve sweep method cannot be used

Hex Dominant Mesh generated

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Hex Dominant Meshing

Free (unstructured) Face Mesh Types

Determines the element shape in the free zone (where structured

meshing is not possible)

Options

Quad/Tri All Quad

May insert triangular elements depending on complexity of geometry

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Hex Dominant Meshing

Example:
Higher no. of elements

Free Face Mesh Type: Quad/Tri

Geometry with valve inside

Lower no. of elements

Free Face Mesh Type: All Quad

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Hex Dominant Meshing

Example: Hex Dominant Mesh Elements
Hex Dominant Mesh

Pyramid

Wedge

Hex

Tet

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Sweep Meshing
Control:
Free (unstructured) Mesh Type
Source face elements: Only Quad Type: All Quad

Source face elements: Quad plus Tri Type: Quad/Tri

Sweepable Geometry Source face elements: Only Tri Type: All Tri
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Sweep Meshing
Control: Type
Element size in swept direction 2mm Sweep Element Size

Sweepable Geometry Sweep Num Divisions

No. of elements in swept direction: 10

The Number of Divisions can be > 1000. If this number is > 1000 the divisions will not be drawn on the edge
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Sweep Meshing
Control: Sweep Bias Type
Uniform mesh No Bias

Sweepable Geometry With Bias

Cells are concentrated on one side

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Sweep Meshing : Complex geometry

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Surface Meshing with Inflation

Triangular Mesh with Inflation

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Mesh Connections
For sheet models, connections can be defined as Mesh connections Mesh connections can be used to extend mesh at mesh level
Gap

Tolerance Value can be

specified to close gaps at mesh level
Connected Mesh

Gap removed at mesh level

Mesh connections will

be created at mesh time (rather than as CE in solver)

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Shell Meshing: Example

Edge colored by the number of connected faces Automatic generation of mesh connections Mesh connectivity can be shown also after meshing Ability to find mappable faces

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Tetrahedrons Method: Patch Independent

Transition

Effect of Smooth Transition Smooth transition uses advanced

front meshing technique
Smooth Transition Off (default) Smooth Transition On

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