Lecture 6A:

Geometry Modeling For CFD

15.0 Release

Introduction to ANSYS DesignModeler

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 Geometry Modeling for CFD

In this lecture we will learn about:

• Fluid Body Extraction
– Internal
– External
• Symmetry Modeling
• Watertight Body Preparation & Conformal Meshing
– Surface Extensions
– Connect
• Use of Lines and Sketches for CFD Modeling
• Zero Thickness Surface Modeling

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 Preprocessing Workflow

Import/
Geometry
Geometry Meshing Solver
Modifications
Creation

Sketches and Planes 3D Operations Meshing Methods

Booleans, Hybrid Mesh: Tet,

3D Operations Decompose, etc. Prisms, Pyramids

Extrude, Revolve, Hexa Dominant,

Sweep, etc Sweep meshing
Geometry Cleanup
and Repair Assembly
Geometry Import Meshing
Options Automatic
Cleanup Global Mesh
Bi-Directional
Settings
CAD/ Neutral
Simplification,
Mid-surface, Local Mesh Settings
Fluid Extraction

Sizing, Controls,
etc.
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 Fill
• Creates internal fluid volume
• Two options
– By Cavity : user must select all wetted surfaces
– By Caps : user must create closing surfaces at inlets and
outlets, and select bodies

Internal fluid volume

extracted using Fill Details View of Fill

Cap surface bodies must be selected

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 Enclosure
• Creates enclosure around the bodies
– Useful for external aerodynamic analysis
– Can be used for extracting internal flow domain

• Input
– All or selected bodies
– Shape of enclosure
– Extent of enclosure

• Output
– A frozen body around the selected parts with specified extents
– Internal flow volume as a result of automatic Boolean subtract

• Supports symmetry models

• Full or partial models can be included in enclosure Enclosure created for an airplane

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 Enclosure: External Flow Example

Using Symmetry

Model

User Defined Shape

Enclosure
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 Symmetry
• Defines symmetry for the model
Tip: The symmetry tool
• Input can be used as
– All or selected bodies visualization tool when
discovering the model
– Up to three symmetry planes
(then the operation is
• Operation deleted)
– Symmetry planes slice the model

• Output
– Sliced model (part lying on the positive side of the axis is retained)

Details View of Symmetry

Note : Faces that are coincident with the

symmetry plane are tagged with a
“Symmetry” named selection under AMP
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 Symmetry: Example

Symmetry using XY
plane

Full Model

Symmetry using XY
& ZX plane
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 Surface Extension
• Allows extension of surface bodies to the desired extent
• Extension type
– Natural: Based on gradients of selected edges
– User Defined: User specifies the direction

Details View of Surface

Extension

Model with gap Model with gap closed

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 Connect
• Aligns and possibly joins a set of
vertices, edges or faces
• Properties
– Location property
– T-junction property

Vertex Connect

Details View of Connect

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 Connect: Example (1)
Edge Connect

Location:
Interpolated
Both edges moved to interpolated location

Model with a gap

Location: Preserve
First
Second edge moved to first edge location
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 Connect: Example (2)
Edge Connect

Using
Model with a gap T-Junction

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 Connect: Example (3)
Face Connect
• Additional options as per edge connect

Model with a gap

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 Connect After Shared Topology

• Connect feature can be used after the Share Topology feature

to selectively share faces between two bodies of a multibody
part
– This can be used to:
• Fix face sharing failures after Shared Toplogy
• Can be used for Selective sharing of faces in conjunction with Selective
Shared Topology
• The advantage of Connect feature is that
– It takes user defined tolerance to Connect faces which failed due to
smaller Shared Topology tolerance
• This ensures conformal meshing
• Please be careful in choosing tolerance value, as high values may result in
deformation of model at some places

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 Concept Modeling Tools
Why is Concept Modeling(Lines and Faces) relevant for CFD users?
• Sometimes the imported files contain issues like:
— Missing Faces
— Corrupt Faces
— Details which require cleanup by selective geometry recreation
— For cleaning, patching, recreating surfaces & stitching a water tight body,
several line and surface creation options of concept modeling are used
• CFD models also require some solids/thin bodies to be modeled as zero
thickness surfaces
— Examples are baffles, fins, zero thickness pipe walls, fan shrouds, etc.
— For above mentioned cases, mid-surfacing tools need to be used
• Sometimes 2D modeling operations also require use of concept modeling
tools
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 Lines from Points
[Main Menu] Concept  Lines From Points
– Points can be any 2D sketch points, 3D model vertices or Point Feature (PF) points.
– A point segment is a straight line connecting two selected points.
– The feature can produce multiple Line Bodies, depending on the connectivity of the
chosen point segments.

Point 1 Line Body

Point 2
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 Lines from Edges
[Main Menu] Concept  Lines From Edges
– Creates line bodies based on existing 2D and 3D model edges
– Can produce multiple line bodies depending on the connectivity
of the selected edges and faces
– Can select edges and/or faces through two fields in the detail
window then “Apply” Line Bodies

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 Split Edges
[Main Menu] Concept  Split Edges
– Splits line body edges into two pieces
– Split location is controlled by the Fraction property (e.g. 0.5 = split in half).
– Other Options:
• Split by Delta: Distance between each split is given by Delta along the edge
• Split by N: Number of Divisions of the Edge
Selected line Fraction = 0.5 Fraction = 0.25

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 Surfaces From Edges (1)
[Main Menu] Concept  Surfaces from Edges
– Creates surface body using line body edges as the boundary
– Line body edges must form non-intersecting closed loops
– Each closed loop creates a frozen Surface Body
– The loops should form a shape such that a simple surface can be inserted into the model:
• Planes, cylinders, tori, cones, spheres and simple twisted surfaces

Planar surface Non-planar

surface

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 Surfaces From Edges (2)
• Creates surfaces from existing body edges
• Can be solid or line body edges
• Edges must produce non-intersecting closed loops

Existing solid body edges are selected for New, frozen, surface body generated (note,
new surface boundary. solid body is hidden).

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 Surfaces From Sketches
[Main Menu] Concept  Surfaces from Sketches
– Creates surface bodies using sketches as boundaries (single or multiple sketches are OK)
– Base sketches must be closed profiles which are not self intersecting
– May choose to “Add” or “Add Frozen” operations

– Can reverse normal direction “No” in Orient With Plane Normal field
– Can enter thickness which will be used in creating the FE model

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 Mid-Surface
• Extracts surface body that is midway between existing solid
body faces
• Two Options:
– Manual: Operates only on user specified face pairs
– Automatic: Provides option to search for other matching face
pairs

Mid-Surface created for

a pipe geometry

Details View of Mid-Surface

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 Mid-Surface: Manual
Manual Method
• Set the Selection Method to “Manual”
• Select pair of faces, one pair at a time, in Face Pairs input
• The order of selection determines the surface normal direction
• Notice the first surface picked is displayed in purple, the second Details View of Mid-Surface
is shown in pink
• When the selection is finalized the selected pairs are displayed in
dark and light blue colors

Normal Direction 2nd

Pick

1st
Pick

23 Solid
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faces during selection
Confidential
Color of faces after selection
 Mid-Surface: Automatic
Automatic Method
• Switching the Selection Method from “Manual” to “Automatic” exposes several additional
options
– Bodies to search: Limits search to visible bodies, selected bodies or all bodies
– Minimum and maximum threshold sets search range (thickness) for face pairs
• Options like Extra Trimming are very useful with “Automatic” method
– Provides options for situations where trimming problems with surface bodies occur
• Preserve Bodies? allows you to save the solid bodies from which surfaces are created (default
is No)

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 Summary

What have we learnt in this session?

• Fluid Body Extraction
• Symmetry Modeling
• Watertight Body Preparation & Duplicate Face Removal
• Modeling of Lines and Surfaces for Simplification/Repair

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 Workshop 6.1A – Geometry Cleanup & Fluid
Extraction

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 Micro-Workshop: 2
Objective:
• Create an Enclosure for extracting external fluid region

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