Search results

1 – 3 of 3
Article
Publication date: 2 March 2015

Jean-Philippe Pernot, Franca Giannini and Cédric Petton

The purpose of this paper is to focus on the characterization and classification of parts with respect to the meshing issue, and notably the meshing of thin parts difficulty…

272

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to focus on the characterization and classification of parts with respect to the meshing issue, and notably the meshing of thin parts difficulty handled automatically and which often requires adaptation steps. The objective is to distinguish the so-called thin parts and parts with thin features from the other parts.

Design/methodology/approach

The concepts of thin part and part with thin features are introduced together with the mechanisms and criteria used for their identification in a CAD models database. The criteria are built on top of a set of shape descriptors and notably the distance distribution which is used to characterize the thickness of the object. To speed up the identification process, shape descriptors are computed from tessellated parts.

Findings

A complete modular approach has been designed. It computes shape descriptors over parts stored in a directory and it uses criteria to distinguish three categories: thin parts, parts with thin features and other parts. Being the three categories identified, the user can spend more time on the parts that are considered as more difficulty meshable.

Research limitations/implications

The approach is limited to the three above mentioned categories. However, it has been designed so that the values corresponding to the shape descriptors and associated meshing qualities can easily be inserted within a machining learning tool later on.

Practical implications

The use of the developed tool can be seen as a pre-processing step during the preparation of finite element (FE) simulation models. It is automatic and can be run in batch and in parallel.

Originality/value

The approach is modular, it is simple and easy to implement. Categories are built on top of several shape descriptors and not on a unique signature. It is independent of the CAD modeler. This approach is integrated within a FE simulation model preparation framework and help engineers anticipating difficulties when meshing CAD models.

Article
Publication date: 2 March 2015

Ruding Lou, Jean-Philippe Pernot, Franca Giannini, Philippe Veron and Bianca Falcidieno

The purpose of this paper is to set up a new framework to enable direct modifications of volume meshes enriched with semantic information associated to multiple partitions. An…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to set up a new framework to enable direct modifications of volume meshes enriched with semantic information associated to multiple partitions. An instance of filleting operator is prototyped under this framework and presented in the paper.

Design/methodology/approach

In this paper, a generic mesh modification operator has been designed and a new instance of this operator for filleting finite element (FE) sharp edges of tetrahedral multi-partitioned meshes is also pro-posed. The filleting operator works in two main steps. The outer skin of the tetrahedral mesh is first deformed to round user-specified sharp edges while satisfying constraints relative to the shape of the so-called Virtual Group Boundaries. Then, in the filleting area, the positions of the inner nodes are relaxed to improve the aspect ratio of the mesh elements.

Findings

The classical mainstream methodology for product behaviour optimization involves the repetition of four steps: CAD modelling, meshing of CAD models, enrichment of models with FE simulation semantics and FEA. This paper highlights how this methodology could be simplified by two steps: simulation model modification and FEA. The authors set up a new framework to enable direct modifications of volume meshes enriched with semantic information associated to multiple partitions and the corresponding fillet operator is devised.

Research limitations/implications

The proposed framework shows only a paradigm of direct modifications of semantic enriched meshes. It could be further more improved by adding or changing the modules inside. The fillet operator does not take into account the exact radius imposed by user. With this proposed fillet operator the mesh element density may not be enough high to obtain wished smoothness.

Originality/value

This paper fulfils an identified industry need to speed up the product behaviour analysis process by directly modifying the simulation semantic enriched meshes.

Details

Engineering Computations, vol. 32 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0264-4401

Keywords

Content available
498

Abstract

Details

Engineering Computations: International Journal for Computer-Aided Engineering and Software, vol. 32 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0264-4401

Access

Year

All dates (3)

Content type

1 – 3 of 3