Lecture 04

Meshing Methods
14. 5 Release

Introduction to ANSYS
CFD Professional
 Methods

Why Multiple Methods? High aspect ratio cells Cells refined around
(Inflation) near wall to small geometric
• Choice can depend on; capture boundary layer details and complex
– Physics gradients flow
– Geometry
– Resources
• Mesh could require just one or a
combination of methods.
• Example – Typical mesh design
based on geometric, physics and
resource considerations.

Hex cells used to

mesh simple
regions Tet cells used here to mesh complex region

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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

– Automatic, Tetrahedrons, Hex Dominant, Sweep
or Multizone

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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
 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
– CAD cleanup required for dirty geometry
• Sizing is defined by global and/or local
controls
• Compatible with inflation

Access
• Insert Method and set to Tetrahedrons
– Additional drop down box for algorithm
choice
 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
• Compatible with inflation
Access
• Insert Method and set to Tetrahedrons
– Additional drop down box for algorithm
choice appears - Set Patch
Independent 7
Tetrahedrons Method: Algorithm Comparison
(Surface Mesh)
Patch Conforming: All Patch Independent: Can
Geometry containing geometric detail is ignore and defeature
small details captured geometry

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Tetrahedrons Method: Algorithm Comparison
(Volume Mesh)
Geometry containing Patch Conforming: Patch Independent: Default
small details Delaunay mesh – Octree Mesh – approximate
smooth growth rate growth rate

Smooth Transition option

creates Delaunay mesh
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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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 Tetrahedrons Method: Control

Sizing for Patch Conforming

• 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
Sizing for Patch Independent
• Defined in Patch Independent Details
• Automatic curvature & proximity refinement option
Defeaturing Control for Patch Independent
• Set Mesh Based Defeaturing On & Defeaturing
Tolerance
• Assign Named Selections to preserve
geometry

Named Selection assigned and

Defeaturing Tolerance Off
Defeaturing Tolerance set.
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Hex
Meshing

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 Introduction
Tet Mesh

Hex Meshing Elements: 48K

• Reduced element count

– Can reduce run time
• Elements aligned in direction of flow
– Reduced numerical error

Methods Available
• Sweep
Sweep Mesh
• MultiZone
Elements: 19K
• Hex Dominant (not recommended for
CFD)
Initial Requirements
• Clean geometry
• May require geometric decomposition
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 Sweep
Meshing
ANSYS Meshing can identify sweepable
bodies automatically
• Rotational Sweep bodies are not identified

To make bodies sweepable

• Decompose into a number of topologically simpler, sweepable
bodies

Unsweepable body Decomposed in CAD

Sweep able!

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 Sweep
Meshing

Method Behavior Sweep Path

• Meshes source surface, sweeps through to the
target
– Body must have topologically identical faces
Side Face(s)
on two ends, (which act as source and target
faces) Target Face Source Face
• Generates hex/wedge elements
• Side faces must be mappable
• Only one source and one target face is
allowed
– Alternative ‘Thin’ sweep algorithm can have
multiple source and target faces
Access
• Insert Method and set to Sweep

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 Sweep
Meshing

•Source/Target (Src/Trg Selection)

• Automatic selection requires that the application find the Source and
Target.
– Specifying both Source & Target will accelerate meshing
– Rotational sweeping requires both Source & Target to be selected

• Inflation
– Must specify at least Source
• manually
– 2D inflation scoped to source face and boundary defined by
Manual Selection
edge(s)

Sweep Mesh with inflation

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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 Source
Faces Targe
– Can perform some automatic t
defeaturing
• Disadvantages
– For Multibody Parts only one
division across the sweep is
allowed
– Inflation & Sweep Bias not
Source Faces
allowed Imprinted on Target

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 MultiZone
Meshing
Method Behavior
• Automatically decomposes geometry into blocks
• Generates structured mesh, where block MultiZone
topology permits Mesh
– Remaining region (Free Mesh) filled with
unstructured Hexa Core or Tetra or Hexa
Dominant mesh.
• Can select source & target faces automatically
or manually
– Can have multiple source faces
• Compatible with 3D inflation
Access
• Insert Method and set to Multizone

Target faces should also be selected as “Source” for Multizone

Method as mesh is swept from both directions
 MultiZone
Meshing
• Mapped Mesh Type - determines the shape of the
elements used to fill structured regions
• Hexa
• Hexa/Prism - For swept regions, the surface mesh can
allow triangles for quality and transitioning
• Prism

• Surface Mesh Method – specifies method to create the

surface mesh.
• Program Controlled - automatically uses a combination
of Uniform and Pave mesh methods depending on the
mesh sizes set and face properties
• Uniform - creates a highly uniform mesh Surface mesh method =
Uniform
• Pave - creates a good quality mesh on faces with high
curvature and when neighbouring edges have a high
aspect ratio
Surface mesh method =
Pave

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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 Patch Conformal
method
• Compatible with inflation

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

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 Meshing Multiple Bodies

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 Selective
Meshing
• Mesh or clear meshes on individual bodies
• Select body(s) right click for context menu
• Subsequent bodies will use the attached face
mesh
• The meshing results (cell types) will depend on
the meshing order
• Adjust/add mesh controls – able to remesh only
affected body
• Selective body updating if geometry modified

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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