17.

0 Release

Module 01: Core Skills

Introduction to ANSYS Meshing

1 © 2016 ANSYS, Inc. February 14, 2018

 Overview

In this lecture we will learn:

• Meshing Fundamentals
• ANSYS Meshing interface
• Geometry concepts
• Meshing methods
• Diagnostics & Usability
• Display Option
• Mesh Statistics & Mesh Metrics

2 © 2016 ANSYS, Inc. February 14, 2018

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 Preprocessing Workflow

Preprocessing
Meshing
and Solution

Geometry
Import / Geometry
Creation Cleanup /
Modifications

6 © 2016 ANSYS, Inc. February 14, 2018

 Mesh Process & Course Plan
Global
Controls
Module 3

Meshing Core Local

Methods Skills Controls
Module 2 Module 1 Module 4

Mesh
Quality
Module 5
7 © 2016 ANSYS, Inc. February 14, 2018
 What is ANSYS Meshing

ANSYS Meshing is a component of ANSYS Workbench

• Meshing platform
• Combines and builds on strengths of preprocessing offerings from ANSYS:
– ICEM CFD, TGRID (Fluent Meshing), CFX-Mesh, Gambit

Able to adapt and create Meshes for different Physics and Solvers
• CFD: Fluent, CFX and POLYFLOW
• Mechanical: Explicit dynamics, Implicit
• Electromagnetic
Integrates directly with other WB systems

8 © 2016 ANSYS, Inc. February 14, 2018

 Meshing Fundamentals

Purpose of the Mesh

• Equations are solved at cell/nodal locations
– Domain is required to be divided into
discrete cells (meshed)

Mesh Requirements
• Efficiency & Accuracy
– Refine (smaller cells) for high solution gradients and fine geometric detail.
– Coarse mesh (larger cells) elsewhere.
• Quality
– Solution accuracy & stability deteriorates as mesh cells deviate from ideal
shape

9 © 2016 ANSYS, Inc. February 14, 2018

 Launching ANSYS Meshing
ANSYS Meshing is launched within Workbench
– 2 ways:
From Analysis Systems From Component Systems
Fluid Flow (Fluent), Static Structural,… Mesh

Double click
Mesh in the
System

or right click and

select Edit

10 © 2016 ANSYS, Inc. February 14, 2018

 Graphical User Interface
Toolbars

Outline Graphics window

Worksheet

Details view

Manage views Message window Mesh Metrics

Section Planes

Entity Details Bar Units Bar

11 © 2016 ANSYS, Inc. February 14, 2018

 Outline

Three default sections

• Geometry
– Bodies
• Coordinate Systems
– Default global & user defined systems
• Mesh
– Meshing operations (controls & methods)
 displayed in the order in which they are inserted
In the tree
• Right clicking on any object
– launches a context sensitive menu
– Example: contains commands to generate, preview, clear mesh etc.

12 © 2016 ANSYS, Inc. February 14, 2018

 Details View

Accessing Object Details

• Select an object (in the Outline)
– Related information to that object are displayed in the Details View below
– Ex: Select a body (“Fluid”) in the Outline
• Details of “Fluid” : contains graphical and geometric details
– To access meshing details
• Click the Mesh object or any of the inserted objects

• The Details View provides options to

– review,
– edit, or values for every object in the Tree
– input

13 © 2016 ANSYS, Inc. February 14, 2018

 Geometry Configuration – Multiple Parts
• Geometry composed of Multiple parts
– No connection between parts (no face sharing)
Grid interface
- Fluent
‘Contact Region’
Each part Results in Non-conformal interface.
is automatically GGI - CFX
meshed Meshes do not match.
created between
independently No nodes connection.
2 faces Contact -
Mechanical

Independent faces

14 © 2016 ANSYS, Inc. February 14, 2018

 Geometry Configuration – Multi-body Parts
• Geometry composed of multiple bodies in a part
– Depend on ‘Shared Topology method’ (in DM)
• None
– Results in a no connection between the bodies (similar to
multiple parts)
• Automatic

Note: The CFX users will

still get duplicate nodes
at interface in CFX, which
is fine for its solver

Faces in contact imprinted & fused to Results in Common face acts

form a single face shared between 2 bodies Conformal mesh as ‘Interior’

15 © 2016 ANSYS, Inc. February 14, 2018

 Geometry Configuration – Multiple – body Parts

• Geometry composed of multiple bodies in a part

• Imprints

Grid interface
Faces are imprinted Contact Region For identical mesh on these non - Fluent
on each other  is automatically faces, use ‘Match Control’ conformal
‘like’ faces created Results in unconnected mesh interface GGI - CFX

16 © 2016 ANSYS, Inc. February 14, 2018

 Meshing – 3D Geometry (1)

• 3D cell Types
• First Meshing Approach

Part/Body Methods
Part/Body based • Tetrahedrons.
− Tetras only
• Meshing occurs at part or
body level.
• Sweep.
− Prisms & hexahedrons
• Meshing Methods are scoped
to individual bodies. • MultiZone.
− Mainly hexahedron
• Method assignment can be
automatic or manual. • Hex Dominant
• Bodies contained in one part − Not for CFD
are conformally meshed. • Automatic.
− Sweep + PC Tet (Depends
on bodies) or PC Tet

17 © 2016 ANSYS, Inc. February 14, 2018

 Meshing – 3D Geometry (2)
• Second Meshing Approach (mainly for CFD users)

Cut Cell Meshing

Assembly Meshing
• Meshes an entire model in one
process.
Assembly Meshing
− Assembly of parts Methods
• Generate mainly
• Performs boolean operations. − Hexahedrons
− Volume filling, intersection &
− Tetrahedrons
combination
− Does not require prior fluid body
definition or shared topology.

• Conformal mesh created across

parts. Part/Body Meshing
& Assembly Meshing
not interoperable

18 © 2016 ANSYS, Inc. February 14, 2018

 Diagnostics: Mesh display By Body Connection (New in R17.0)
Default mesh display
Turning
wireframe
mode on

Turning on Mesh display by body

connection.

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 Diagnostics: Close vertices (New in R17.0)
● Close Vertices: Checks for vertices that are very close together:
– Scale can be adjusted depending on model sizes

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 Named Selections (1)
Named Selections are groups of geometric or finite element entities:
• Named selections can be created either by selecting the desired items and clicking the “Named
Selection” icon in the context toolbar or RMB > Named Selection OR using the named selection
worksheet (shown later).

RMB

• Named selections must be composed of “like” entities (all surfaces or all edges, all nodes, etc.).

21 © 2016 ANSYS, Inc. February 14, 2018

 Named Selections (2)
A new criteria selection can be based on an initial selection:
• Make an initial selection followed by a RMB > “Create Named Selection”.
• Note, initial selection must be a single entity.

Selection here will

create the first row of
the worksheet.

RMB > Convert to nodal named selection immediately.

22 © 2016 ANSYS, Inc. February 14, 2018
 Named Selections (3)
In many detail window fields Named Selections can be referenced directly:
− In the Details view, change “Scoping Method” from “Geometry Selection” to “Named
Selection”
− Select the “Named Selection” from the pull-down menu

− A named selection toolbar provides quick access to basic controls “View > Toolbars > Named
Selections”:

23 © 2016 ANSYS, Inc. February 14, 2018

 Named Selections (4)
Worksheet Summary:
• As can be seen, numerous controls are available in the worksheet. See the
documentation for a complete discussion of each.
• As discussed elsewhere in this course the “Convert To” action is used to change a
geometry named selection (face, edge, etc.) to a nodal named selection.

When creating named selections using worksheet criteria

a set of tolerances is available if needed:
• Tolerance adjustment is usually only necessary in special
circumstances like models in micro units or node selections
in dense meshes.

24 © 2016 ANSYS, Inc. February 14, 2018

 Named Selections (5)

New in R17.0
● Body Criterion Based Selection by keywords (Name)
● Body Criterion Based Selection by Thickness (for sheets)

● Convert to options based on connectivity

– Find attached faces to edges based on any edge/all edges
– Find attached edges to vertices based on any vertex/all vertices

25
 Usability: Option to save mesh out to separate file (New in R17.0)
● When “Save Mesh Data in
Separate File” is on the mesh is
saved as a separate file (*.acmo).
● Duplication, Resume, Replace, and
Save will handle the separate
database and acmo files.
● Clear generated data will not
remove the acmo file. Reset will
remove the acmo file.
● Design Points (also w/RSM)
support the separate database and
acmo files.
This functionality is particularly helpful on Linux
to keep file sizes smaller.

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 Usability: Better Meshing Status in R17.0
● Progress is reported as parts are meshed in parallel
● As a part is meshed the topology (edges, faces, bodies) are highlighted to show what is
being worked on
– This can be turned off by unchecking “Highlight”
– If user stops meshing, entity will stay highlighted, allowing user to find problematic geometry easier

If user stops meshing, parts that have been

meshed are done. Restarting meshing resumes
only with unmeshed parts

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 Usability: Folders for Meshing Controls in R17.0

● Mesh controls can now be grouped for easier

organization
● Option: Group All Similar Children, will group all
objects based on type
● Options to suppress, rename, nest groups,
ungroup, delete objects in group
● Drag and drop capabilities to modify the grouping

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 Display Option: Color by quality
• Displays mesh color by quality metrics
• Options to probe quality or show min/max
• Contour band can be adjusted

Probe Element Find Min or Display mesh

Values Max value contours

29 © 2016 ANSYS, Inc. February 14, 2018

 Section Planes (1)
Displays internal elements of the mesh
• Elements on either side of plane can be displayed
• Toggle between cut or whole elements display
• Elements on the plane
Edit Section Plane button can be used to drag section plane to new location
• Clicking on “Edit Section Plane” button will make section plane’s anchor to appear
Multiple section planes are allowed

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

30 © 2016 ANSYS, Inc. February 14, 2018

 Section Planes (2)
● Shaded section planes (New in R17.0)
– Shaded or hollow section plane
– Plot by body color or same color for section plane

31 © 2016 ANSYS, Inc. February 14, 2018

 Mesh Statistics & Mesh Metrics
• Displays mesh information for Nodes and Elements
• List of quality criteria for the Mesh Metric
– Different physics and different solvers have different requirements for mesh quality

Mesh metrics available in Workbench Meshing include:

– Element Quality
– Aspect Ratio
– Jacobean Ration
– Warping Factor
– Parallel Deviation
– Maximum Corner Angle
– Skewness
– Orthogonal Quality For Multi-Body Parts, go to corresponding body in Tree Outline
to get its separate mesh statistics per part/body

32 © 2016 ANSYS, Inc. February 14, 2018

 Mesh Metric Graph
• Displays Mesh Metrics graph for the element
quality distribution
• Different element types are plotted with
different color bars
• Can be accessed through menu bar using
Metric Graph button

• Axis range can be adjusted using controls

button (details next slide)

• Click on bars to view corresponding elements

in the graphics window
– Use to help locate poor quality elements

33 © 2016 ANSYS, Inc. February 14, 2018

 Mesh Metric Graph Controls
• Elements on Y-Axis can be plotted with two
methods;
– Number of Elements
– Percentage of Volume/Area
• Options to change the range on either axis
• Specify which element types to include in graph
– Tet4 = 4 Node Linear Tetrahedron
– Hex8 = 8 Node Linear Hexahedron
– Wed6 = 6 Node Linear Wedge (Prism)
– Pyr5 = 5 Node Linear Pyramid
– Quad4 = 4 Node Linear Quadrilateral
– Tri3 = 3 Node Linear Triangle
• Te10, Hex20, Wed15, Pyr13, Quad8 & Tri6 non-linear
elements
For more information about the different mesh metrics please consult module 05: Mesh Quality
34 © 2016 ANSYS, Inc. February 14, 2018
 Summary
What have we learnt in this session:
• The global process to run ANSYS Meshing
• On overview of the interface and
• The various Geometry configurations
– Multiple parts
– Multi-body parts And the associated
– Multiple body parts shared topology option
• Meshing methods
– Part/body based
– Assembly meshing
• Section Planes
• Diagnostics & Usability
• Mesh Statistics & Mesh Metrics
• Display option
35 © 2016 ANSYS, Inc. February 14, 2018
 Workshop 1.1 CFD – ANSYS WB Meshing Basics

36 © 2016 ANSYS, Inc. February 14, 2018

 Workshop 1.1 FEA – ANSYS WB Meshing Basics

37 © 2016 ANSYS, Inc. February 14, 2018