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Workshop 4.1 FEA: Local Mesh Controls

Introduction to ANSYS Meshing

1 © 2016 ANSYS, Inc. April 4, 2016

 Introduction
Background
• This workshop will demonstrate how local controls can
be used to create a mesh with an acceptable quality on
a multibody part (valve geometry)

Objectives
• Method
– Patch conforming Tetrahedrons

• Face Meshing
• Local Virtual Topologies
• Local Inflation

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 Project Startup
Create the Project
• Start Workbench
– Start  All Programs  ANSYS 17.0 
Workbench 17.0
– Drag and drop a Mesh Component System into
the Project Schematic
• Right click on the Geometry cell (A2) and
select Import Geometry  Browse
• Locate the file “valve.scdoc” in the Meshing
workshop input files (Module04) folder and
select it. The geometry cell will show a check
mark indicating it is up to date
• Double click the mesh cell (A3) to start Meshing

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 Units and Preferences

Set Global Meshing Options:

• Set Physics Preference to Mechanical
• Set Solver Preference to Standard Mechanical

• In the Units menu set Metric (mm, kg,

N, s, mV, Ma)

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 Model
Review the Geometry
• The geometry represents a valve with one inlet distributed through a central spherical
region to three outlets. We are interested to kept the bending in the 4 pipes

• Right Click on the Mesh branch in the tree then show -> Sweepable Bodies
No body is highlighted No sweepable body was found

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 Set Global Mesh Options
Setup Advanced Size Functions:

• To adequately capture the curved geometric

features a Curvature Size Function will be used

• Leave all other options to default as shown

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 Named Selections (1)
Create Named Selection:
• Switch the view to isometric and ensure the Selection Filter is set to Face
• Select the face as shown, right click in the Graphics Window and select Create Named
Selection from the Context Menu

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 Named Selections (2)
• In the Named Selection window enter the name ‘faces’ and click on Apply geometry
items of same Size, and finally click OK

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 Named Selections (3)
Create Named Selections (Continued)
• In the Outline, expand Named Selections and click on Outline3.
– The worksheet details the method by which the Named Selection is scoped to faces – in this
case by size. Switch to Graphics by clicking on the button
– Note that the Named Selection contains all four identical faces

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 Patch Conforming Tetrahedral Method
Since all the bodies are not sweepable, we will apply a tetrahedral method to all of them
• Right click on the Mesh branch in the tree:  Insert  Method
• Under Details of Method, click on ‘No Selection’ in yellow in Scoping Geometry
• Right click on the Graphic window  Select All then Click on Apply to confirm
• Set the Method to Tetrahedrons

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 Local Sizing (1)
Insert Body Sizing:
• Right click on the Mesh branch in the tree:  Insert  Sizing
• Apply on the central body an element Size of 2 mm

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 Local Sizing (2)
Since the 4 pipes are the point of interest we will mesh them with a finer mesh:
• Repeat the same procedure to apply a body sizing of 0.8 mm to the 4 pipes

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 Local Sizing (3)
Insert Face Sizing:
• Right click on the Mesh branch in the tree:  Insert  Sizing
• Apply on the 4 faces shown below an element Size of 1.5 mm

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 Face Meshing (1)
Insert Face Meshing:
• Right click on the Mesh branch in the tree:  Insert  Face Meshing
• Select Named Selection for Scoping Method and scope to
the Named Selection ‘faces’ already created
• Enter 2 in Internal Number of Divisions

Note: In order to have an accurate information about bending in

the thickness of the pipes, it is advisable to have more than 2
elements through the thickness; it depends on the performance
of your machine, the boundary conditions and the level of
nonlinearity

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 Face Meshing (2)
Insert Face Meshing (continued):
• Right click on the Face Meshing  Duplicate
• Select the face shown below in the scoping Method

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 Mesh creation and Mesh Metric view
• Generate the Mesh

• Check the Mesh Statistics and choose Element Quality

In Mesh Metric drop down list

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 Element Quality Improvement (1)

• Click on the left-most block in the Element Metrics diagram to localize the elements

• Hide the Mesh and the central body

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 Element Quality Improvement (2)

• The 2 bodies in form of drums have small faces causing bad quality elements
• This problem will be solved by creating virtual topologies
– Right click on the Model Branch  inert Virtual Topology
– Select all the faces surrounding one body
 right click  Insert virtual cell

– Create a virtual cell on the faces of the other body

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 Element Quality Improvement (4)

• Update the Mesh

• Check the Mesh Metrics

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 Element Quality Improvement (5)

• Turn the Smoothing to ‘High’ in the Mesh global controls

• Update the Mesh and check the Mesh Metrics

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 Element Quality Improvement (6)

• Change the Transition to ‘Slow’ in the Mesh global controls

• Update the Mesh and check the Mesh Metrics

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 Creating Inflation (1)
Creating Inflation
• Right Click on one of the holes face, as shown below, and create the Named Selection
‘holes1’. Apply the selection on geometry items of same Size

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 Creating Inflation (2)
… Creating Inflation
• The Named Selection contains 64 faces
• In order to filter, we must search for a
criterion
• Click on a node at the position shown in the
screenshot, activate the
• Look at the information in the selection
Information. Note the Z coordinate of 27 mm

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 Creating Inflation (3)
… Creating Inflation
• In the worksheet of ‘holes1’ named selection add a row and fill it as shown and generate

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 Creating Inflation (4)
… Creating Inflation
• The Named Selection contains 8 faces now as shown in the screenshot below

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 Creating Inflation (5)
… Creating Inflation
• Create an inflation with the details as shown below

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 Creating Inflation (6)
… Creating Inflation
• Apply an Edge Sizing with 20 number of divisions with a ‘hard’ behavior

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 Creating Inflation (7)
… Creating Inflation
• Insert a Face Meshing for the 8 faces of the holes

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 Creating Inflation (8)
… Creating Inflation
• Update and view the resulting mesh

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 Save the Project

• This completes the workshop

• From the main menu select File  Close Meshing
– Workbench will save any application data

• From the Workbench Project Page use the file menu and save
the project as “AMWS4.1_fea.wbpj” to your working folder

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 Optional Challenges

• Repeat the Inflation Creation to the three other pipes

• Change the Physics Preference to Nonlinear Mechanical

• Update the Mesh and compare the Mesh statistics and Metrics

• Try with others Physics Preferences

31 © 2016 ANSYS, Inc. April 4, 2016