Femap v10.

2 Update Training The Meshing Toolbox

The Meshing Toolbox

Introduction
In this exercise, you will familiarize yourself with the new controls available in the Meshing Toolbox: Feature Editing Geometry Editing Mesh Surface

You will also use other Meshing Toolbox controls to complete this exercise.

Femap v10.2 Update Training The Meshing Toolbox

Step 1:

Open the Femap model and modify the two holes on the right face of the part.
Start FEMAP v10.2 and import a FEMAP Neutral File. Select the File, Import, FEMAP Neutral command. Select the file, Fitting.NEU Click OK to accept the default options in the Neutral File Read Options dialog box. The resulting Femap model should appear as below.

If the Meshing Toolbox is not activated, open it by clicking on the Meshing icon on the Panes toolbar.

Note: In Femap v10.2 there are two new Femap Preference options for the Meshing Toolbox under the User Interface Tab: Expand Active Tool Only and a setting to select between Auto Remesh, Track Changes or Disable Remesh.

Femap v10.2 Update Training The Meshing Toolbox Active the Feature Editing controls. Click on the Feature Editing control to expand it. If the control is not shown in the Meshing Toolbox, you must select the Toggle Tools icon and enable the Feature Editing control.

Change the diameter of the two holes on the right face of the part from their current diameter of 5 (mm) to 7.5. With the Selection Method set to Feature Edges, click the Resize Hole button. Enter a Diameter of 7.5. With the Remesh Modes setting of Auto Remesh enabled , click the Dialog Select icon on the Meshing Toolboxs control tools menu. Select one curve on each of the two holes on the front face of the part, then click OK to confirm your selection.

Femap v10.2 Update Training The Meshing Toolbox Note how the size of the holes has been increased and the surface has been remeshed. However the mesh size is based on the default mesh size of the Femap model, so you will need to update the default mesh size for your model to 7.5 to match the original mesh size of the surfaces.

Turn off display of the nodes using the View Nodes Toggle on the Entity Display toolbar. Update the default mesh size of the Femap model. Select the command Mesh, Mesh Control, Default Size. Set the Size to 7.5 and click OK.

Femap v10.2 Update Training The Meshing Toolbox Use the Mesh Surface controls to remesh the surface to the default size. Click the Mesh Surface control in the Meshing Toolbox. Select the Off button for Mesh Sizing and set the Meshing Method to Free Mesh.

Click the Select icon on the Meshing Toolboxs control tools menu. Select the surface on the part with the two holes. Note how the surface has been re-meshed with the default mesh size.

Save your Femap model. Save your model as Fitting-modified.modfem.

Femap v10.2 Update Training The Meshing Toolbox

Step 2:

Extend the left edge of the part and move the post to the center of the left flat face.
Reorient and zoom the display so that the left flat surface and post are clearly visible. Select the Geometry Editing control in the Meshing Toolbox. Set the Operation to Extend. Set Extend Shape to Linear. Set Extend To as Distance. Click the Measure icon in the Extend Distance field.

Femap v10.2 Update Training The Meshing Toolbox Select the front left corner of the flat surface as the Location to Measure From. You should set your snap mode to Snap to Point as you will need this to help move the post.

Select the front right corner of the flat surface as the Location to Measure To.

Note that the Extend Distance value is set to the current length of the edge, 101.
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Femap v10.2 Update Training The Meshing Toolbox For the value of Extend Distance, modify the entry to show 125-101. Click the Select icon on the Meshing Toolboxs toolbar. Select the left edge of the flat surface. Note how the surface has been extended and re-meshed.

Move the position of the post to the right. This will demonstrate that the translation must maintain topology of the part. Select the Feature Editing control in the Meshing Toolbox. Set the Selection Method to Surface. Set the Operation to Translate Surface(s).

Click the Select Vector icon in the Vector to Move Along field.
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Femap v10.2 Update Training The Meshing Toolbox In the Vector Locate Vector dialog box, set the Method to Global Axis. Set the Direction to Positive and X Axis. Set the Length to 1.

Click OK to set the vector and distance. In the Distance field in under the Feature Editing control, enter 60. Click the Dialog Select icon on the Meshing Toolboxs control. Select the two half cylinders and surfaces for the fillets at the base of the post.

Femap v10.2 Update Training The Meshing Toolbox Note how the post its blends on the bottom of the post do not extend down to the intersection with the curved faces on the bottom of the part. This is an example of how the Feature Editing tool cannot change the topology of the part.

Select the Undo command until the post is returned to its prior position.

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Femap v10.2 Update Training The Meshing Toolbox Move the post to its correct position on center of the left flat face. Again in the Feature Editing control, click the Select Vector icon. Set the Method to Locate in the Vector Global Axis dialog box. Place your cursor into any of the Base X, Y, or Z fields and press the Ctrl+z hotkey to change the Method to Center. Select one of the two curves on the fillet at the base of the post.

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Femap v10.2 Update Training The Meshing Toolbox Place your cursor into any of the Tip X, Y, or Z fields and press the Ctrl+z hotkey to change the Method to Between. Select the two opposite corner points of the flat surface. Leave the value of % From Pt 1 as 50.

Disable the Distance option in the Feature Editing control. If you fail to disable this option, the distance in this field will override the value set by the Vector to Move Along field and will use a unit vector along defined by the Vector to Move Along definition and the value of the Distance.

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Femap v10.2 Update Training The Meshing Toolbox Using the Dialog Select button on the Meshing Toolboxs control, re-select the four (4) surfaces of the post (half-cylinders and the two surfaces of the base fillet). Note how the post has been re-positioned correctly and the mesh has been updated.

Save your model.

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Femap v10.2 Update Training The Meshing Toolbox

Step 3:

Add Washers and Pads to the Holes

Re-mesh the surfaces using the Surface Mesh control tool. The original mesh was generated using the Mesh, Geometry, Surface command with only a model default mesh size set at 7.5. This operation will improve the overall quality of the mesh and allow for a higher mesh quality after further editing. Activate the Mesh Surface control in the Meshing Toolbox. Set the option for Mesh Sizing to Size All, Connect. Set the Mesh Size to 7.5. Set the Meshing Method to Mapped Mesh.

Select the Dialog Select icon on the Meshing Control panel. Select All the surfaces to remesh.

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Femap v10.2 Update Training The Meshing Toolbox The resulting model should appear similar to below.

Add washers and pads to the two holes on the right face of the part. Activate the Geometry Editing control in the Meshing Toolbox. Set the Operation to Washer. Set the value of the Offset Distance to 5.

Click the Select icon on the Meshing Toolboxs control and select one of the arcs on one of the two holes on the right face of the part. Click one of the arcs on the other hole on the right face of the part.

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Femap v10.2 Update Training The Meshing Toolbox Note how the washers have been applied to the holes and how the mesh has been automatically updated.

Add the pads to the holes. Select the Pad button in the Geometry Editing control. Leave the default value of Pad Factor as 1.

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Femap v10.2 Update Training The Meshing Toolbox With the Select icon on the Meshing Toolboxs toolbar activated, click one of the curves on one of the washers. Select the surface on the right face of the part as the Select Surface to Split.

Note that after the Pad has been applied, you will see warnings in the Messages window regarding mesh approaches.

Create the second pad by selecting one of the two arcs on the second washer. Select the same right face ID you selected when you created the first pad as the Select Surface to Split.

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Femap v10.2 Update Training The Meshing Toolbox The resulting mesh should appear as below. You will resize the mesh around the pads and the boundaries of the flat surface on the right side of the part in the next steps. This will rematch the boundaries between the right faces and the curved surface.

Click the Select icon on the Meshing Toolboxs control to turn of selecting additional curves for pads. Save your model.

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Femap v10.2 Update Training The Meshing Toolbox

Step 4:

Resize the mesh around the pads and the flat surface.
Turn on display of the mesh size. On the View Toolbar, select the View Style icon and select the Mesh Size command. Note that the View Options are set to display the element size on the curves. Curves that do not display a number indicate that the default mesh size was used on those curves. Reorient your view to the Top view.

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Femap v10.2 Update Training The Meshing Toolbox Resize the mesh around the pads. Select the Mesh Sizing control in the Meshing Toolbox. Select Size Curves as the Sizing Option. Set the Operation to Decrease. Set the Number of Elements to 1.

Select the Dialog Select icon on the Meshing Toolboxs control.

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Femap v10.2 Update Training The Meshing Toolbox Select the ten (10) straight edges with a Mesh Size of 3 around the two pads. Do not select the curved edges on either the inside or outside of the pads.

Note that left edge of the curved surface has been reset. This will be modified along with the other three (3) edges of the left flat surface.

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Femap v10.2 Update Training The Meshing Toolbox Set the mesh size around the outer boundary of the flat surface. In the Mesh Sizing control, set the Operation to Set to. Set the Number of Elements to 16.

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Femap v10.2 Update Training The Meshing Toolbox Click the Select Multiple icon on the Meshing Toolboxs control. Select the four edges on the periphery of the flat surface.

Your model has been update to look like the following.

Save your model.

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Femap v10.2 Update Training The Meshing Toolbox

Step 5:

Split the flat surface and complete resizing the mesh.

Split the flat surface into four surfaces. Select the Geometry Editing control. Select Point to Edge.

Click the Select icon on the Meshing Toolboxs control. Click the lower left point on the flat surface. Click lower curve on the base of the fillet of the post.

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Femap v10.2 Update Training The Meshing Toolbox Your model should look similar as below.

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Femap v10.2 Update Training The Meshing Toolbox Complete the splitting of the flat face by clicking the remaining three corners and the curve at the base of the fillet between the flat face and the post. Your model should now appear as below.

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Femap v10.2 Update Training The Meshing Toolbox Size the curves at the base of the fillet. Select the Mesh Sizing control. Set the Sizing Option to Size Curves, the Operation set to Set To, and the Number of Elements set to 16.

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Femap v10.2 Update Training The Meshing Toolbox Click the Dialog Select icon on the Meshing Toolboxs control. Select the front and back curves at the base of the fillet and click OK to confirm your selection.

Set the Number of Elements to 8.

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Femap v10.2 Update Training The Meshing Toolbox Click the Dialog Select icon on the Meshing Toolboxs control. Select the four arcs on the base of the left and right sides of the fillet and click OK to confirm your selection.

Click the Dialog Select icon on the Meshing Toolboxs control. Select the four diagonal curves from the outer corners of the flat surface to the base of the fillet.

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Femap v10.2 Update Training The Meshing Toolbox

Your model should now appear as below.

Save your model. You have completed this exercise.

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