Chapter 4

Volume Meshing

ICEM CFD Introductory

Course

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Volume Meshing
Introduction to volume meshing Training Manual

• To automatically create 3D elements to fill

volumetric domain
– Generally termed “unstructured”
• Mainly tetra
– Full 3D analysis
• Where 2D approximations don’t tell the full
story
– Internal/External flow simulation
– Structural solid modeling
– Thermal stress
– Many more!
• Standard procedures
– Start from just geometry – Start from existing shell mesh – Both geometry and
• Octree tetra • Delauney/T-grid shell mesh
– Robust – Quick • Portions of model
– Walk over features already meshed
• Advancing Front
• Cartesian – Smoother gradients, size
– Inflation layers
– Fastest transition • “Prism”
• Have to set sizes • Hex Core
• Hex Dominant

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Volume Meshing
General Procedure Training Manual

• First decide volume mesh parameters • Load/create surface mesh

– Global Mesh Setup > Volume Meshing
– As in Shell Meshing
Parameters
chapter
– Select Mesh Type
– For Delauney, Advancing
– Select Mesh Method for selected Type
Front, T-grid, Hex-
– Set options for specific Methods Dominant
• Set mesh sizes • Either of these types run
– Globally from geometry will
automatically create
• As in Shell Meshing surface mesh using
– Locally global and local Shell
• Part/Surface/Curve Mesh Setup Mesh settings without
any user input/editing
• As in Shell Meshing
• For From geometry only • If in doubt, run Shell
Mesh first, then from
– Octree
existing mesh
– Cartesian

• Define volumetric region

– Typically for octree on complex models • Compute Mesh
– Multiple volumes – Mesh > Compute Mesh >
• Define density regions (optional) Volume Mesh
• Applying mesh size within volume • Compute Prism (optional)
where geometry doesn’t exist – As separate process
– Also option to run
automatically following
tetra creation
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Volume Meshing
Body/Material Point Training Manual

• Define Volumetric Domain

– Optional
• Recommended for complex geometries
• Multiple volumes
– Geometry -> Create Body
– Material Point
• Centroid of 2 points
– Select any two locations whose mid-point is within volume
– Preferred
• At specified point
– Define volume region by “point” within volume
– By Topology
• Defines volume region by set of closed surfaces
• Must first Build Diagnostic Topology
• Entire model
– Automatically define all volumes
• Selected surfaces
– User selects surfaces that form a closed volume

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Volume Meshing
Mesh Types Training Manual

• Tetra/mixed
– Most used
Pure tetra
– Tetra
– With hex core
• Hexa (cartesian) filling majority
volume
• Tetra (from delauney algorithm) used
to fill between surface or top of
inflation layers and hex core
• Pyramids to make conformal between
Tetra/Prism
tetra tri and hex quad faces
– With inflation layers
• Prisms from tri surface mesh
• Hexas from quad surface mesh
• Tetra and/or hex core filling interior
• Pyramids to cap off any quad faces
– Of hex core or hex inflation layers Tetra/Prism/Hexcore

– Merged hybrid with structured hex

mesh
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Volume Meshing
Mesh Types Training Manual

• Hexa-Dominant
– From existing quad mesh
– Good quality hex near surface
– Somewhat poor in interior
– Typically good enough for
static displacement
– Not covered in detail here

• Cartesian
– Automatic pure hexa
– Rectilinear mesh
– Staircase or
– Body fitted
– Fastest method for creating
volume mesh
– Not covered in detail here

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Volume Meshing
Mesh Method Training Manual

• Tetra/Mixed
– Robust (Octree)
• Same as Shell Meshing > Patch Independent
– Retains volumetric tetras
• If you have complex and/or dirty geometry
• Don’t want to spend too much time with geometry
cleanup
• Don’t want to spend too much time with detailed
shell meshing
• Don’t want to spend time defeaturing geometry
• Just set appropriate mesh sizes on geometry
– Parts
– Surfaces
– Curves
– Review Shell Meshing chapter
• Part/Surface/Curve Mesh Setup

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Volume Meshing
Octree Method Training Manual

• ICEM Tetra uses patch-independent Octree method

– Volume first generated independent of surface model
– Nodes are projected to model surfaces, curves and points
– Surface mesh is created

• Resulting mesh is independent of the underlying

arrangement of surfaces Mesh detail
– Not all surface edges need to be captured!
– Make curves/points dormant
• Delete
• Filter points/curves under Build Diagnostic Topology

Sliver ignored

Geometry
Mesh

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Volume Meshing
Geometry Requirements for Octree Tetra Training Manual

• Tetra requires an enclosed

surface model
– Run Build Diagnostic Topology Geometry Repair
tools quickly locate
to find gaps/holes
and fix these
– Octree can tolerate gaps problems.
smaller then the local element
size
• Recommend points and curves
at key features
• Recommend Material points to
define volumes
– Will create a material point if
none exists
• Set Global, Part, Surface, Curve
Size Parameters Missing inlet surface
– As in Shell Meshing
Hole highlighted by yellow
single edge curve
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Volume Meshing
Using Points and Curves Training Manual

• Curves and points included

• Mesh size specified on curves
and surfaces

Mesh captures detail

Coarse mesh ‘walks over’ detail • Curves and points

in surface model affect which
features are
captured by the
mesh!
• Build Topology
easily creates the
necessary points
• Curves and points not included and curves
• Mesh size specified only on surfaces
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Volume Meshing
Octree - Options Training Manual

• Setup options:
• Global Mesh Setup > Volume Meshing parameters
– Run as batch process
• Runs as a separate process. GUI will stay interactive.
– Fast Transition
• Allows for a faster transition in element size from finer to coarser
• Reduce element count
– Edge Criterion
• Split elements at a factor greater than set value to better capture
geometry
– Define Thin cuts
• Tool for resolving thin gaps, sharp angles
• User selects pairs of opposing parts
• Resolve elements jumping from one side to another
– Smooth
• Automatically smooths after grid generation process
– Coarsen
– Fix Non-manifold
• Automatically tries to fix elements that jump from surface to another
– For a more detailed description go to Help > Help Topics > Help
Manual > Mesh > Global Mesh Setup > Volume Meshing
Parameters > Tetra/Mixed > Robust (Octree)

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Volume Meshing
Octree -Options Training Manual

• Run options: Compute Mesh > Volume Meshing

Parameters
– Create Prism Layers
• Will create prisms marked under Part Mesh Setup
• Immediately after tetra calculation
• Prism layers grown into existing tetra mesh
– Create Hexa-Core
• Will retain tri surface mesh (or tri-prism), throw away
tetra mesh
• Fill volume interior with cartesian
• Cap off with pyramids
• Map tetra to tri or top prism face with delauney algorithm
– Input
• Select Geometry
– All, Visible
– Part by Part
• Meshes each part separately
• Mesh not conformal between parts
– From file
• Select tetin file
– Use Existing Mesh Parts
• Select Parts that are already surface meshed
• Uses Make Consistent to match octree volume mesh to
existing surface mesh

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Volume Meshing
Curvature/Proximity Based Refinement Training Manual

• Curvature/Proximity Based Refinement

– Octree only
– Automatically subdivides to create elements that are
smaller than the prescribed entity size in order to capture
finer features
– Min size limit value entered is multiplied by the global Scale
Factor and is a lower limit for the automatic subdivision
– Used primarily to avoid setting up meshing parameters
specifically for individual entities thus allowing the
geometry to determine the mesh size

Min Size Limit: multiplied by

Scale Factor = global minimum
Prescribed element size: Surface/Curve Max. Element
Size times Scale Factor

Prescribed size
is adequate here Auto subdivision
at tighter radius
of curvature

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Volume Meshing
Curve Based Refinement Training Manual

• Refinement
– Number of elements along Prescribed size Min size limit
curvature if extrapolated
to 360o
– To avoid subdivision
always to global minimum
which would otherwise
result in too many
elements
– Subdivision will stop Refinement = 12
once number of
elements along curve
is reached
– Won’t exceed global
minimum set by natural
size value
• Example
– Specified refinement
achieved with larger
elements
– Global minimum (Size) not
realized, not necessary to
capture curvature
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Volume Meshing
Proximity Refinement, Elements in Gap Training Manual

• Elements in Gap
– Number of cells desired in Prescribed size Min size limit
narrow gaps
– To avoid subdivision
always to global minimum
which would otherwise
result in too many elements
• Subdivision will stop Cells in Gap = 5
once number of cells
in gap is reached
– Will not override global
minimum (Min size limit) Prescribed size Min size limit (1/5th smaller)
• Example
– Only one element in gap
– Can’t go smaller than Min
size limit
– Have to set smaller Min
size limit
Cells in Gap = 5

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Volume Meshing
Mesh Methods Training Manual

• Tetra/Mixed • Setup Options:

– Quick (Delauney) – Memory scaling factor
• To allocate more memory
• If already have • Usually does so automatically
good quality
– Expansion factor
surface mesh
• Growth ratio from surface
– From Shell – Fill holes in volume mesh
Mesh • Use to fills holes/voids in
– From Octree existing volume mesh
• e.g. if bad quality region is
– From imported deleted
surface mesh – Mesh all domains
• Uses initial point • For multiple sets of closed
cloud; distributed volumes in one model
so that the • Usually
centroid of any – Flood fill after complete
tetra is outside
• For multiple volumes
circumsphere of
• Will assign tetras within closed
any neighboring volume to Part designated by
tetra Body or Material Point
– Verbose output
• For troubleshooting
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Volume Meshing
Mesh Methods Training Manual

• Tetra/Mixed
– Smooth (Advancing Front)
• Same as Quick (Delauney) but
• Uses advancing front method that marches tetras
from surface into interior
• Algorithm from GE/CFX
• Results in more gradual change in element size
– “Better” but finer mesh
– Inut surface mesh has to be of fairly high quality
• Setup Options: Do Proximity Checking
– Check to properly fill small gaps
– Longer run time
– Tgrid
• Volume grid generation algorithm from Fluent
• Uses somewhat different delauney approach
• Gradual transition near surface
• Faster transition toward interior
• Setup Options: Use Background Mesh

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Volume Meshing
Mesh Methods Training Manual

• Run Options:
– Same for Delauney, Advancing Front, TGrid
– Create Prism Layers/Hexa-Core
• Same as for Octree
• Hexa-Core not available for Advancing Front, TGrid
– Input
• All Geometry
– Will run shell mesh first with no user input/editing
– Using parameters from Shell/Part/Surface/Curve
Mesh Setup
– Review Shell Meshing chapter
– If doubtful as to shell mesh quality, run Shell Mesh
first, then use Existing Mesh
• Existing Mesh
• Part by Part/From File
– Same as for Octree
– Volume Part Name
• For newly created tetras

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Volume Meshing
Comparison Training Manual

Octree Delauney Adv.front

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Volume Meshing
Set Mesh Sizes Training Manual

• Create Mesh Density

– Define volumetric region with certain mesh
size where no geometry exists, e.g. wake
region behind a wing
– Not actual geometry!
• Mesh nodes not constrained to density object
• Can intersect geometry
– Can create densities within densities
• Always subdivides to smallest set size
– Set Size
• As for surface/curve – multiplied by global Scale
Factor
• Ratio – expansion ratio away from density object
• Width – Number of layers from object
– Type
• Points – Select any number of points
– Size and Width (number of layers) will detemine “thickness” of
volume if number of points selected is 1-3
– 4-8 creates polyhedral volume

• Entity bounds – define region by bounding box

of selected entities
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Volume Meshing
Periodicity Training Manual

• Define Periodicity
• Forces mesh alignment across periodic sides
• For meshing and solving only one section of
symmetrically repeatable geometry
– Rotational Periodic
• Enter Base, Axis, and Angle
– Translational Periodic
• Enter dX, dY, dZ offset

Tip: Place
material point
close to mid-
plane

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Volume Meshing
Workshops Training Manual

• Workshop 1 – Engine Block Model

– Build diagnostic topology
– Octree mesh
– Smooth mesh
– Curvature/proximity refinement
– Delaunay mesh

• Workshop 2 – Valve Model

– Build diagnostic topology
– Create parts, Create body
– Set sizes – Global, Surface, Curves, density
– Octree mesh

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Volume Meshing
Workshops Training Manual

• Workshop 3
– Import Design Modeler file into ICEM
– Create Parts from Subsets
– Global, Part mesh set up
– Using ANSYS ICEM CFD Hexa to create a Cartesian initial grid with biasing
– Computing the mesh
– Viewing cut-planes

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