2011ANSYS,Inc. December27,2011 1 Release14.

0
14.0Release
IntroductiontoANSYS
Meshing
Lecture7
MeshQuality
2011ANSYS,Inc. December27,2011 2 Release14.0
Whatyouwilllearnfromthispresentation
ImpactoftheMeshQualityontheSolution
Qualitycriteria
Variousmethodsforcheckingthemeshquality
ToolstoimprovequalityinMeshing
Pinch
Virtualtopology
MeshQuality
2011ANSYS,Inc. December27,2011 3 Release14.0
CheckMesh
Quality
PreprocessingWorkflow
Sketches and
Planes
Geometry Import
Options
3D Operations
Direct CAD/Bi-
Directional CAD
Geometry
Cleanup and
Repair
Automatic
Cleanup
Merge, Connect,
Projection, Flow
Volume
Extraction, etc
Extrude, Revolve,
Sweep, etc
3D Operations
Boolean, Body
Operations, Split,
etc
Meshing
Methods
Hybrid Mesh: Tet,
Prisms, Pyramids
Hexa Dominant,
Sweep meshing
Global Mesh
Settings
Local Mesh
Settings
Sizing,
Body/Sphere of
Influence, Match
Control, etc
GeometryCreation
OR
GeometryImport
Geometry
Operations
Meshing Solver
Assembly
Meshing
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MeshingProcessinANSYSMeshing
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ImpactoftheMeshQuality
Goodqualitymeshmeansthat
Meshqualitycriteriaarewithincorrectrange
Orthogonalquality
Meshisvalidforstudiedphysic
Boundarylayer
Solutionisgridindependent
Importantgeometrydetailsarewellcaptured
Badqualitymeshcaninduce
Convergencedifficulties
Badphysicdescription
Diffusesolution
Usermust
Checkqualitycriteriaandimprovegridifneeded
Thinkaboutmodelandsolversettingsbeforegeneratingthegrid
Performmeshparametricstudy,meshadaption
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Exampleshowingdifferencebetweenameshwithcells
failingthequalitycriteriaandagoodmesh
HotSpotsduetodeterioratedcells
ImpactoftheMeshQualityontheSolution
2011ANSYS,Inc. December27,2011 7 Release14.0
(max,avg)
CSKEW
=(0.912,0.291)
(max,avg)
CAR
=(62.731,7.402)
(max,avg)
CSKEW
=(0.801,0.287)
(max,avg)
CAR
=(8.153,1.298)
Vz
MIN
-100ft/min
Vz
MAX
400ft/min
Vz
MIN
-90ft/min
Vz
MAX
600ft/min
ImpactoftheMeshQualityontheSolution
Large cell size
change
M
e
s
h

2
M
e
s
h

1
Diffusionexample
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Solutionrun with multiplemeshes
Note:Forallruns thecomputed Y+is valid forwall function (firstcell notinlaminar zone)
GridDependency
DP0 DP1 DP2 DP3 DP4
NbCells 500 3000 24000 190000 1.5M
DP 0
DP 3
2%
x8
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GridDependency
Hexa cellscan bestretchedinstreamdirectiontoreducenumberofcells
Biasdefined oninletandoutletwalls
Biasdefined oninletedges
16 000 cells (~DP2)
Delta P = 310 Pa (~DP3)
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Hexa:Concentrationinonedirection
Anglesunchanged
Tetra:Concentrationinonedirection
Anglesdeteriorate
Prism:Concentrationinonedirection
Anglesunchanged
Solutionforboundarylayerresolution:Hybridprism/tetrameshes
Prisminnearwallregion,tetrainvolume
Automated
ReducedCPUtimeforgoodboundarylayerresolution
Hexa vs.Tetra
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DisplaysmeshinformationforNodesandElements
ListofqualitycriteriafortheMeshMetric
Selecttherequiredcriteriatogetdetailsforquality
Itshowsminimum,maximum,averageandstandarddeviation
Differentphysicsanddifferentsolvershavedifferentrequirementsfor
meshquality
MeshmetricsavailableinANSYSMeshinginclude:
ElementQuality
AspectRatio
JacobeanRation
WarpingFactor
ParallelDeviation
MaximumCornerAngle
Skewness
OrthogonalQuality
MeshStatisticsandMeshMetrics
For Multi-Body Parts, go to corresponding body in Tree Outline
to get its separate mesh statistics per part/body
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OrthogonalQuality(OQ)
Deriveddirectlyfrom
Fluentsolverdiscretization
Foracellitistheminimumof:
computedforeachfacei
Fortheface itiscomputedastheminimumofcomputedforeachedgeI
WhereAi isthefacenormalvectorandfi isavectorfromthecentroid ofthecelltothecentroid
ofthatface,andci isavectorfromthecentroid ofthecelltothecentroid oftheadjacentcell,
whereei isthevectorfromthecentroid ofthefacetothecentroid oftheedge
Atboundariesandinternalwalls
ci isignoredinthecomputationsofOQ
MeshQualityMetrics
A
1
A
2
A
3
f
1
f
2
f
3
c
2
c
1
c
3
A
1
A
2
A
3
e
1
e
2
e
3
Oncell
| || | i i
i i
f A
f A
| || | i i
i i
c A
c A
| || | i i
i i
e A
e A
Onface
0 1
Perfect Worst
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Skewness
Twomethodsfordeterminingskewness:
1. EquilateralVolumedeviation:
Skewness =
Appliesonlyfortrianglesandtetrahedrons
2. NormalizedAngledeviation:
Skewness =
Whereistheequiangularface/cell(60for
tets andtris,and90forquadsandhexas)
Appliestoallcellandfaceshapes
Usedforhexa,prismsandpyramids
(

e
min
e
e
e max
,
180
max
u
u u
u
u u
min u
max u
optimal cell size cell size
optimal cell size

Optimal (equilateral) cell

Actual cell
Circumsphere
MeshQualityMetrics
e
u
0 1
Perfect Worst
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Meshquality
Meshqualityrecommendations
LowOrthogonalQualityorhighskewness valuesarenotrecommended
Generallytrytokeepminimumorthogonalquality>0.1,ormaximumskewness <0.95.
Howeverthesevaluesmaybedifferentdependingonthephysicsandthelocation
ofthecell
Fluentreportsnegativecellvolumesifmeshcontainsdegeneratecells
Skewness meshmetricsspectrum
Orthogonalqualitymeshmetricsspectrum
Excellent Verygood Good Acceptable Bad Inacceptable
00.25 0.250.50 0.500.80 0.800.94 0.950.97 0.981.00
Inacceptable Bad Acceptable Good Verygood Excellent
00.001 0.0010.14 0.150.20 0.200.69 0.700.95 0.951.00
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AspectRatio
2D:
Length/heightratio:x/y
3D
Arearatio
Radiusratioofcircumscribed/inscribed
circle
Limitationforsomeiterativesolvers
A<10100
(CFX:<1000)
Largeaspectratioareacceptedwhere
thereisnostrongtransverse
gradient(boundarylayer...)
y
x
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Smoothness
Checked insolver
VolumeChangeinFluent
Available inAdapt/Volume
3D:
i
=V
i
/V
nb
ExpansionFactorinCFX
Checkedduringmeshimport
Ratiooflargesttosmallestelementvolumes
surroundinganode
Recommendation:
Good: 1.0 < < 1.5
Fair: 1.5 < < 2.5
Poor: > 5 20
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MeshMetricGraph
DisplaysMeshMetricsgraphfortheelementqualitydistribution
Differentelementtypesareplottedwithdifferentcolorbars
Canbeaccessedthroughmenubarusingicon
Clickonrequiredbartoseecorrespondingelementsinthegraphicsview
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MeshMetricsControls
ThehistogramdistributioncanbecontrolledusingbuttoninMeshMetrics
ElementsonYAxiscanbeplottedwithtwomethods
NumberofElements
PercentofVolume/Area
Optionstochangetherangeoneitheraxisaswellselectionforrequiredtype
ofelementsformetricsdisplay
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MeshMetricChartexample
Interactivewaytoviewthecellsofdesiredqualityonly
ClickonthehistogrambartodisplaycellsofthatqualityrangeintheGraphicsDisplay
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Controlbuttonoptions
VariousoptionstoexploreundertheControls
MeshMetricChartexample
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SectionPlanes
Displaysinternalelementsofthemesh
Elementsoneithersideofplanecanbedisplayed
Togglebetweencutorwholeelementsdisplay
Elementsontheplane
Multiplesectionplanesareallowed
For large meshes, it is advisable to switch to geometry mode (click on geometry in the
Tree Outline), create the section plane and then go back to mesh model
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MeshQualityCheckforCFX
TheCFXsolvercalculates3importantmeasuresofmesh
qualityatthestartofarunandupdatesthemeachtimethe
meshisdeformed
MeshOrthogonality
AspectRatio
ExpansionFactor
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Mesh Statistics |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
Domain Name: Air Duct
Minimum Orthogonality Angle [degrees] = 20.4 ok
Maximum Aspect Ratio = 13.5 OK
Maximum Mesh Expansion Factor = 700.4 !
Domain Name: Water Pipe
Minimum Orthogonality Angle [degrees] = 32.8 ok
Maximum Aspect Ratio = 6.4 OK
Maximum Mesh Expansion Factor = 73.5 !
Global Mesh Quality Statistics :
Minimum Orthogonality Angle [degrees] = 20.4 ok
Maximum Aspect Ratio = 13.5 OK
Maximum Mesh Expansion Factor = 700.4 !
Good
(OK)
Acceptable
(ok)
Questionable
(!)
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MeshQualityCheckforFLUENT
Gridchecktoolsavailable
Check :Performvariousmeshconsistency
checks
ReportQuality:listsworsevaluesof
orthogonalqualityandaspectratio
TUIcommandmesh/checkverbositysets
thelevelofdetailsinthereport
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FactorsAffectingQuality
Geometryproblems
Smalledge
Gaps
Sharpangle
Meshingparameters
SizingFunctionOn/Off
Minsizetoolarge
Inflationparameters
Totalheight
Maximumangle
Hardsizing
Meshingmethods
Patchconformalorpatchindependenttetra
SweeporMultizone
Cutcell
Geometry cleanup in Design Modeler
or
Virtual topology & pinch in Meshing
Mesh setting change
Mesh setting change
Direct meshing can be used to
minimize remeshing time
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VirtualTopology(VT)
Whentouse?
Tomergetogetheranumberofsmall(connected)
faces/edges
Tosimplifysmallfeaturesinthemodel
Tocreateedgesplitsforbettercontrolofthe
surfacemesh
Virtualcellmodifiesthetopology
OriginalCADmodelremainsunchanged
Newfacetedgeometryiscreatedwithvirtual
topology
Restrictions
Limitedtodevelopablesurfaces
VirtualFaces cannotformaclosedregion
Beta option for User Defined
Virtual Topology is also available
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CreatingVirtualTopology
Creates VT automatically
Creates VT manually
Toacces VTmenu,clickonModelandthen
onVirtualTopology
RightclickonVTmenutoaccessautomated
andmanualVTtools
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AutomaticVirtualTopology
Automatically creating VirtualFaces
Left ClickVirtualTopology inModelTree
SetBehaviour inDetails
ControlsaggressivenessofautomaticVTalgorithm
Low:mergesonlytheworstfaces(andedges)
Medium&High:trytomergemorefaces
SelectifFaceEdgesshallbemerged
Right ClickVirtualTopology and click Generate Virtual
Cells
Manually creating aVirtualFace
RMBonModeltreeandselectInsertVirtualTopology
SelectVirtualTopologyfromtheTreeOutline
Pickfacesoredges,RMBandInsertVirtualCell
AllVTentitiescreatedcanbeseenindifferentcolorsifVirtual
TopologyisselectedinTreeOutline
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VirtualTopology:Example
With Virtual cells:
Small faces are merged to
form a single virtual face
and edges of the original
set of faces are no longer
respected for meshing
Without Virtual cells:
Edges are respected while
creating surface mesh
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ProjecttounderlyingGeometry
Virtualtopologiesareafaceted
representationoftheoriginalgeometry.
Bydefaultmeshisprojectedtothefacets
Improvedprojectioncanbeobtainedby
projectingbacktotheunderlying
geometry
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VirtualTopology:Example
Creatingedgesplit
SelectVirtualTopologyfromtheTreeOutline
Picktheedge(s)
RMBandselectVirtualSplitEdgeat+orVirtualSplit
Edgetosplittheedgeatthelocationspecifiedbythe
selection,ortoenterthesplitratiointheDetails
window,respectively
With edge splits:
We can add edge constrains to improve the mesh
Edge splits can be moved interactively. Pick the virtual edge, hold the F4 key
and move the red node along the edge with the mouse
2011ANSYS,Inc. December27,2011 31 Release14.0
Pinch
Pinchcontrolremovessmallfeaturesatthemeshlevel
Slivers
ShortEdges
SharpAngles
ThePinchfeatureworksonverticesandedgesonly
ThePinchfeatureissupportedforthefollowingmeshmethods:
PatchConformingTetrahedrons
ThinSolidSweeps
HexDominantmeshing
QuadDominantSurfaceMeshing
TrianglesSurfacemeshing
NotsupportedforCutCell meshing
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Pinch Control
Pinchfeaturescanbedefined2ways
Automatically:pinchescreatedbasedonglobalpinchtoleranceinMeshDetail
Manually:pinchcreatedonebyonebyuserwithlocaltolerance
AllpinchesarelistedinModelTreeunderMeshmenuwithmethodsand
localcontrols
Manual
Automated
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VertexvertexPinchcontrolswillbecreatedonanedgewithlengthless
thanthespecifiedtolerance
Will pinch out the slave
geometry into the master
geometry
Pinch:VertexVertex
Mesh without Pinch
Control
Mesh with Pinch
Control
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EdgeEdgePinchcontrolswillbecreatedonanyfaceforwhichtwoedges
arewithintheproximityofspecifiedtolerance
Will pinch out the entire or a
portion of the slave geometry into
the master
Pinch:EdgeEdge
Mesh without Pinch
Control
Mesh with Pinch
Control
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Workshops5(Applications)5a Mixing
Tankor5b AssemblyMeshing