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Appendix A

Mesh Quality

ANSYS Meshing
Application Introduction
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Appendix A: Mesh Quality

Overview

Training Manual

Mesh Quality Metrics in ANSYS Meshing


Skewness
Aspect Ratio
Worst Element

Mesh Quality Considerations for the FLUENT Solver


General Considerations
Impact of Mesh Quality on the Solution

Mesh Quality Considerations for the CFX Solver


Factors Affecting Mesh Quality

CAD Issues
Mesh Resolution and Distribution
Meshing Method
Inflation

Strategies to Improve Mesh Quality

CAD Cleanup
Virtual Topology
Pinch Controls
Sensible Mesh Sizings and Inflation Settings
General Recommendations

Workshop A.1 Virtual Topology for an Auto Manifold


Workshop A.2 FLUENT and CFX Mesh Quality Metrics
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Appendix A: Mesh Quality

Mesh Quality Metrics in ANSYS Meshing

Mesh Metrics are available under


Mesh Options to set and review
mesh metric information and to
evaluate mesh quality

Different physics and different


solvers have different requirements
for mesh quality

Training Manual

Mesh metrics available in ANSYS


Meshing include:

Element Quality
Aspect Ratio
Jacobian Ration
Warping Factor
Parallel Deviation
Maximum Corner Angle
Skewness

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Appendix A: Mesh Quality

Mesh Quality Metrics

Training Manual

Skewness

optimal (equilateral) cell

Two methods for determining skewness:


1. Based on the Equilateral Volume deviation:

Skewness =

Applies only to triangles and tetrahedra


Default method for tris and tets

2. Based on the deviation from a Normalized


Angle deviation:

max e e min
max
,
Skewness =

180

e
e

Where e is the equiangular face/cell (60 for


tets and tris, and 90 for quads and hexas)
Applies to all cell and face shapes
0
Used for prisms and pyramids
Perfect
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actual cell
circumsphere

1
Worst
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Appendix A: Mesh Quality

Mesh Quality Metrics

Training Manual

Aspect Ratio

Aspect for generic triangles and quads is a


function of the ratio of longest side to the
shortest side of the reconstructed
quadrangles (see User Guide for details)
Equal to 1 (ideal) for an equilateral triangle
or a square

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aspect ratio = 1

high-aspect-ratio quad

aspect ratio = 1

high-aspect-ratio triangle

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Appendix A: Mesh Quality

Mesh Quality Statistics in ANSYS Meshing

Training Manual

The min, max, averaged and standard


deviation for the selected mesh metric
are shown for the surface mesh (after
Preview Surface Mesh generation) and
for the volume mesh (after Preview
Inflation layer or Generate Mesh
generation)
The worst elements can be highlighted
using the Show Worst Elements under
the Mesh object in the Tree Outline

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Appendix A: Mesh Quality

Mesh Quality Considerations for FLUENT

Training Manual

FLUENT requires high quality mesh to avoid numerical diffusion


Several Mesh Quality Metrics are involved in order to quantify the quality,
however the skewness is the primary metric
The aspect ratio and cell size change mesh metrics are also very
important
In worst scenarios and depending on the solver used (density based or
pressure based) FLUENT can tolerate poor mesh quality. However some
applications may require higher mesh quality, resolution and good mesh
distribution
The location of poor quality elements helps determine their effect
Some overall mesh quality metrics may be obtained in Ansys Meshing
under the Statistics object
Additional mesh quality metrics may be retrieved in FLUENT GUI under
Mesh/Info/Quality from the menu, or using the TUI commands
mesh/quality
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Appendix A: Mesh Quality

Mesh Quality Requirements for FLUENT

Training Manual

The most important mesh metrics for Fluent are:


Skewness
Aspect Ratio
Cell Size Change (not implemented in Ansys
Meshing)

For all/most applications:


For Skewness:
For Hexa, Tri and Quad: it should be less than 0.8
For tetrahedra: it should be less than 0.9

For Aspect Ratio:


It should be less than 40, but this depends on
the flow characteristics
More than 50 may be tolerated at the inflation layers

Poor mesh quality may


lead to inaccurate
solution and/or slow
convergence
Some applications may
require even lower
skewness than the
suggested value

For Cell Size Change:


It should be between 1 and 2.

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Appendix A: Mesh Quality

Skewness and the Fluent Solver

Training Manual

High skewness values are not recommended


Generally try to keep maximum skewness of volume mesh < 0.95.
However this value is strongly related to type of physics and the location
of the cell
FLUENT reports negative cell volumes if volume mesh contains
degenerate cells.
Classification of the mesh quality metrics based on skewness:
0-0.25
Excellent

0.25-0.50
very good

0.50-0.80

0.80-0.95

0.95-0.98

0.98-1.00*

good

acceptable

bad

Inacceptable*

* In some circumstances the pressure based solver in Fluent can handle


meshes containing a small percentage of cells with skewness ~0.98.

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Appendix A: Mesh Quality

Impact of the Mesh Quality on the Solution

Training Manual

(max,avg)CSKEW =(0.912,0.291)
(max,avg)CAR=(62.731,7.402)

Mesh 1

Example

VzMIN-90ft/min
VzMAX600ft/min

Large cell size change

Mesh 2

(max,avg)CSKEW =(0.801,0.287)
(max,avg)CAR=(8.153,1.298)

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VzMIN-100ft/min
VzMAX400ft/min

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Appendix A: Mesh Quality

Mesh Quality Considerations for CFX

Training Manual

Mesh quality requirements are somewhat different for the CFX


solver than for the FLUENT solver due to the difference in the
solver structure for the two codes
Fluent uses a a cell-centered scheme, in which the fluid flow variables are
allocated at the center of the computational cell, and the mesh-element is
the same as the solver-element
CFX employs a vertex-centered scheme for which the fluid flow variables
are stored at the cell vertex, and the solver-element or control volume is a
dual of the mesh-element. This means that the vertex of the meshelement is the center of the solver-element

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Appendix A: Mesh Quality

Mesh Quality Considerations for CFX

Training Manual

The CFX solver calculates 3 important measures of mesh


quality at the start of a run and updates them each time the
mesh is deformed
Mesh Orthogonality
Aspect Ratio
Expansion Factor
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
|
Mesh Statistics
|
|
Mesh Statistics
|
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
Domain Name: Air Duct
Domain Name: Air Duct
Minimum Orthogonality Angle [degrees]
=
20.4 ok
Minimum Orthogonality Angle [degrees]
=
20.4 ok
Maximum Aspect Ratio
=
13.5 OK
Maximum Aspect Ratio
=
13.5 OK
Maximum Mesh Expansion Factor
=
700.4 !
Maximum Mesh Expansion Factor
=
700.4 !
Domain Name: Water Pipe
Domain Name: Water Pipe
Minimum Orthogonality Angle [degrees]
=
32.8 ok
Minimum Orthogonality Angle [degrees]
=
32.8 ok
Maximum Aspect Ratio
=
6.4 OK
Maximum Aspect Ratio
=
6.4 OK
Maximum Mesh Expansion Factor
=
73.5 !
Maximum Mesh Expansion Factor
=
73.5 !
Global Mesh Quality Statistics :
Global Mesh Quality Statistics :
Minimum Orthogonality Angle [degrees]
=
20.4 ok
Minimum Orthogonality Angle [degrees]
=
20.4 ok
Maximum Aspect Ratio
=
13.5 OK
Maximum Aspect Ratio
=
13.5 OK
Maximum Mesh Expansion Factor
=
700.4 !
Maximum Mesh Expansion Factor
=
700.4 !

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Good
(OK)

Acceptable
(ok)

Questionable
(!)

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Appendix A: Mesh Quality

Mesh Orthogonality in CFX

Training Manual

Orthogonality measures alignment


of:
ip-face normal vector, n, &
node-to-node vector, s.

Orthogonality Factor = ns, >1/3 desirable


Orthogonality Angle = 90-acos(ns), >20 desirable
Are these different than Max/Min Face Angles in CFD Post? YES!
Face angles correspond to angles between edges
One can have an acceptable Face Angle and an unacceptable Orthogonality
Angle if an element is skewed in two directions

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Appendix A: Mesh Quality

Mesh Expansion Factor in CFX

Training Manual

Expansion factor measures how


poorly the nodal position corresponds
to the control volume centroid

Mesh Expansion Factor ratio of largest to smallest element


volumes surrounding a node,
<20 is desirable
The Mesh Expansion Factor is essentially identical to the Element Volume
Ratio in CFD Post

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Appendix A: Mesh Quality

Mesh Aspect Ratio in CFX

Training Manual

Aspect ratio measures how stretched a


control volume is

Aspect Ratio = maximum of the ratio of largest to smallest


ip-areas for each element surrounding a node,
<100 is desirable
The Aspect Ratio is very similar to the Edge Length Ratio in CFD Post

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Appendix A: Mesh Quality

Significance of Mesh Quality in CFX

Training Manual

Why is geometrical mesh quality important?


Sources of discretisation error
non-orthogonality introduces errors in flux approximations
large mesh expansion introduces errors in storage and source
approximations

Amplification of discretisation error


corrections to reduce errors caused by non-orthogonality can create
unphysical influences

Difficulties solving linearised equations


large aspect ratios require use of more significant digits
(i.e. use of double precision solver)

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Appendix A: Mesh Quality

Factors Affecting Mesh Quality

Training Manual

CAD Issues
Small edges, sharp edges and faces
Small gaps/passages between edges and faces
Unconnected geometry entities

CAD issues need to


be fixed to avoid this

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Appendix A: Mesh Quality

Factors Affecting Mesh Quality

Training Manual

Mesh Resolution
and Distribution
Geometry with
abrupt changes,
discontinuities
and/or small gaps
may require more
resolution, and
Mesh distribution
where appropriate to
be able to predict
physical conditions

Inappropriate
resolution and
distribution may lead
to large cell size
change, aspect ratio
and/or skewness

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Appendix A: Mesh Quality

Factors Affecting Mesh Quality

Training Manual

Type of Size Function


Inappropriate usage (or
no usage at all) of
Advanced Size
Functions (ASF) may
lead to poor mesh quality
Use Curvature ASF for
geometries with
dominant curvature
features
Use Proximity ASF for
geometries with gaps or
narrow components
Use Curvature and
Proximity ASF in
geometries having a
combination of these
features

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ASF may be used to


avoid this !

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Appendix A: Mesh Quality

Factors Affecting the Mesh Quality

Training Manual

Meshing Method
Inappropriate usage of Meshing Method (Automatic, Tetrahedrons, Sweep, MultiZone and
CFX-Mesh) may lead to large skewness
The selection of the Meshing Method depends on the geometry and application
It is a good practice to use Show the Sweepable Bodies under the Mesh object in the
Tree Outline
Many applications may take advantage of Patch Conforming and Sweep Meshing Method

A relatively good mesh in


terms of max skewness,
however the average and
standard deviation are large

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Appendix A: Mesh Quality

Factors Affecting Mesh Quality

Training Manual

Inflation
Inappropriate:
Surface mesh
quality
Choice of the
inflation surfaces
Inflation Option
Inflation algorithm
(layer compression
or stair-stepping)
Inflation
parameters
Advanced Inflation
Options

Affected Inflation

may lead to poor


mesh quality!

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Appendix A: Mesh Quality

Strategies to Improve Mesh Quality


CAD cleanup

Training Manual

After split edge/Project


edge/merge face in DM

Use CAD or DM to:


Simplify the geometry
Merge small edges
Merge the faces in
order to reduce the
number of faces
Avoid narrow faces
Keep volume gaps only
where important
Decompose the
geometry
Remove unnecessary
geometries
Add geometries
Repair the geometry

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Appendix A: Mesh Quality

Strategies to Improve Mesh Quality

Training Manual

After virtual merging of


narrow face with wide face

Virtual topology
Use VT in order to
simplify details at
geometry level in AM
Can be added under
Model object in the
Tree Outline
Mesh may be
improved by creating
virtual edges/faces
If the resulting
surface mesh is
distorted consider
fixing the geometry
issue in DM or CAD

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Appendix A: Mesh Quality

Strategies to Improve Mesh Quality


Pinch Controls

Training Manual

Pinch locations are detected


automatically with Pinch Controls under
Mesh object in the Tree Outline

Allow to remove small features (small edges


or narrow faces) at the mesh level
Intended for Patch-Conforming Tetrahedral Method
When it is defined the small features are pinchedout from the mesh when pinch criteria are met

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Appendix A: Mesh Quality

Strategies to Improve Mesh Quality

Training Manual

Sensible Mesh Sizings and Inflation Settings

The minimal size decreased 2X in order to


fit the narrow geometry. As a result the
mesh quality has been improved. Local
face sizing may also be used

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Appendix A: Mesh Quality

Strategies to Improve Mesh Quality

Training Manual

General Recommendations
A volume mesh may be considered inacceptable if it satisfies one or more the
following conditions:

Very high skewness for FLUENT meshes(> 0.98)


Degenerate cells (skewness ~ 1)
High aspect ratio cells
Negative volumes

Cell Quality can be improved by:


Improving surface mesh quality
Moving mesh nodes
CAD to fix geometric problems such as sharp angles, small edges, merge faces unite
and/or decompose the geometries
Clean-up tools in DM to simplify the geometries and their entities
Different methods, global and local sizings and parameters in the ANSYS Meshing
Application
Pinch Controls in the ANSYS Meshing Application to avoid small features
Virtual topology in the ANSYS Meshing Application in order to simplify the geometry
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Appendix A: Mesh Quality

Miscellaneous

Training Manual

If the model contains multiple


parts or bodies the mesh metric
information can be shown by
highlighting them under the
Geometry object in the Tree
Outline
The Body of Influence (BOI)
technique may be used also to
control the mesh quality and
appropriate local resolution
More advanced mesh statistics
including histograms can be
exhibited by FE Modeler Mesh
Metrics in FEM
Different mesh quality metrics
can also be viewed in CFD Post

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Workshop A.1
Virtual Topology for an
Auto Manifold

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Appendix A: Mesh Quality

Goals

Training Manual

This workshop uses the manifold geometry from workshop 5.2. Recall that
this geometry contains many problematic small faces and sharp angles.

In workshop 5.2, the Patch Independent method was used to produce a


good quality mesh without modifying the geometry. In this workshop Virtual
Topology will be used to remove the problematic geometry and then the
default Patch Conforming meshing method will be used.
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Appendix A: Mesh Quality

Starting the Project


1.
2.
3.
4.

Training Manual

Launch ANSYS 12.0 Workbench


Click on Component Systems in the Toolbox on the LHS of the main panel
Double click the Mesh option to add it to the Project Schematic
In the Project Schematic right-click on Geometry and select Import
Geometry > Browse. Select the file Auto-Manifold.agdb

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Appendix A: Mesh Quality

Named Selections

Training Manual

5. Next, make sure that Named Selections will be brought into Meshing:
6. Right-click on cell A2 and then select Properties
7. Ensure Named Selections is checked, and the Named Selection Key is
blank
8. Close the Properties window

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Appendix A: Mesh Quality

Edit the Mesh

Training Manual

9. Edit the Mesh (cell A3)

The Meshing window will open

10. Start by suppressing the fluid region and meshing the solid:

Select the Body selection icon from the toolbar

Select the inner fluid region, so


that it is highlighted in green, and
then right-click and select
Suppress Body

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Appendix A: Mesh Quality

Mesh Settings

Training Manual

11. Select Mesh from the Outline tree


12. In the Details view set the Physics Preference to CFD

The assumption here is that heat transfer will be solved in the solid region
using a CFD solver

13. Expand the Sizing section in the


Details view and set:

Span Angle Center = Medium


Min Size = 1.0 mm
Max Face Size = 10.0 mm
Max Tet Size = 10.0 mm

14. Right-click on Mesh in the Outline


tree and select Preview Surface
Mesh

Since the body is not sweepable, the


Patch Conforming method will be
applied by default

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Appendix A: Mesh Quality

Examine the Mesh

Training Manual

The Patch Conforming method meshes each individual surface. This


produces a poor quality mesh on some surfaces in this geometry.
Examine the surface mesh and look for regions of poor mesh quality. By
switching between Geometry and Mesh in the Outline tree relate regions
of poor mesh quality to the underlying surface geometry. Some examples
are shown here:

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Appendix A: Mesh Quality

Adding Virtual Topology

Training Manual

Virtual Topology allows you to merge adjacent surfaces, removing


undesirable surface geometry feature and producing a higher quality
mesh
15. Right-click on Model (A3) in the Outline tree and select Insert > Virtual
Topology

A Virtual Topology entry is added to the Outline tree


In the Details view note that the Behaviour is set to Low

16. Right-click on Virtual Topology in the Outline tree and select Generate
Virtual Cells

This automatically creates virtual cells using a Low merging strategy.


Medium and High strategies are likely to result in more faces being
merged into virtual cells

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Appendix A: Mesh Quality

Virtual Topology

Training Manual

When Virtual Topology is selected in the Outline tree the viewer shows
all virtual cells that have been created
Examine the new surface geometry and note that most of the
problematic faces have been merged to produce a cleaner surface
geometry
17. In the Details view change the Behaviour to Medium

Right-click on Virtual Topology in the Outline tree and select Generate


Virtual Cells

Note that more faces have been merged


into virtual cells

18. Try generating virtual cells using the High


option for Behaviour

This does not work as well for this


geometry as shown to the right

19. Switch back to the Medium option and


generate the virtual cells again
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Examine Improved Mesh

Training Manual

20. Re-create the surface mesh and examine the regions that previously
showed poor mesh quality

You should find that the surface mesh has been greatly improved

21. There are still some regions where the mesh quality could be improved.
The arrows below shows one of these locations.

If you zoom in and examine the geometry here you will find a kink at the
edge of the surface

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Appendix A: Mesh Quality

Adding Virtual Cells Manually

Training Manual

22. You can manually add Virtual Cells to improve the mesh further

Pick the Face selection icon from the toolbar

Orient the view approximately as shown below (note the X-Y axes)
Check that Virtual Topology is selected from the Outline tree
Select the four faces shown below, then right-click and select Insert > Virtual
Cell

3
1

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Appendix A: Mesh Quality

Examining Improved Mesh

Training Manual

23. Re-create the surface mesh and examine the region again

You should find an improved surface mesh

You can continue adding Virtual Cells as necessary


In some cases the automatic virtual cell creation may merge faces that
you do not want to merge. You can delete individual virtual cells by
selecting the Virtual Face from below the Virtual Topology entry in the
Outline tree and right-clicking to delete.

24. Right-click on Mesh and select Generate Mesh to create the final solid
mesh
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Appendix A: Mesh Quality

Viewing the Fluid Body

Training Manual

The next step is to create the mesh for


the fluid region
25. In the Outline tree expand the Geometry
> Part section

Right-click on the first solid and select


Hide Body to hide the solid region

Right-click on the suppressed (second)


solid and select Unsuppress Body

With the second solid selected, in the


Details view expand the Graphical
Properties section and set the
Transparency to 1

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Appendix A: Mesh Quality

Adding Inflation

Training Manual

26. Select Virtual Topology from the Outline tree

Virtual Cells have already been created on the fluid region from earlier

27. Check that the automatic virtual cells look reasonable

There should be no small surfaces remaining in the model

28. The next step is to add inflation to the fluid walls

Right-click on Mesh and select Insert > Inflation


In the Geometry field you need to select the solid body corresponding to the
fluid region from the Viewer then click Apply
Once this has been selected click on No Selection in the Boundary field so
that the Apply / Cancel buttons appear

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Appendix A: Mesh Quality

Creating the Fluid Mesh

Training Manual

Now select one of the faces from the


model that is not an inlet or outlet
Select Extend to Limits from the
toolbar as shown:
All the fluid walls should now be
selected
Click Apply in the Boundary field in
the Details view

29. To generate the final mesh right-click


on Mesh and select Generate Mesh

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Appendix A: Mesh Quality

Checking the Mesh Quality

Training Manual

30. Expand the Statistics entry and set the


Mesh Metric to Skewness. Note that the
Max Skewness is within the acceptable range
for the FLUENT solver.
31. If you had generate the mesh without VT, the
Max Skewness would have been considerably
higher

Without Virtual Cells

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Appendix A: Mesh Quality

Fluid Region Mesh

Training Manual

NO VT

VT

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Workshop A.2
FLUENT and CFX Mesh
Quality Metrics

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Appendix A: Mesh Quality

Goals

Training Manual

This hands on tutorial will demonstrate how the Meshing Application in


ANSYS is used to generate a CFD mesh for an internal flow domain
The geometry represents portions of an aerospace valve region,
decomposed into 3 bodies
The goal is to produce a conformal hybrid CFD mesh including hex,
pyramid, prism and tetrahedral elements including pinch controls and to
examine mesh quality metrics for the Fluent and CFX solver preferences

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Appendix A: Mesh Quality

Creating a Meshing System

Training Manual

1. Launch ANSYS Workbench from the START menu


2. Click on Component Systems in the Toolbox on the LHS of the WB
main panel
3. Double click the Mesh
option

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Appendix A: Mesh Quality

Importing the Geometry

Training Manual

4. Right click (RMB) on the Geometry button and select Import Geometry (the
question mark on the button goes away once a geometry file is imported)

5. Import the Aero-Valve.agdb file from the tutorial folder


6. Double click on the Mesh button in the Project Schematic to launch the Meshing
Application

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Appendix A: Mesh Quality

Geometry

Training Manual

7. The original geometry is a Solid part and the Fluid region was extracted
out in DesignModeler (DM). Other operations performed in DM;

A parameter was defined for the position of the valve


Some outlet ports were closed
One multi-body part was created and a given the name Fluid and the material Fluid
Individual bodies were re-named and Named Selection was used to define the Inlet
and Outlet
Fillets were added to some
sharp corners to improve
mesh quality

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Meshing Options

Training Manual

8. In the Meshing Options panel select the following meshing options:


Physics Preference
CFD
Mesh Method
Automatic
Click OK after you
make the selection
In Units, make sure
the setting is mm

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Global Mesh Parameters

Training Manual

9. Set global Mesh control parameters:

Click on Mesh to change settings


Verify Defaults
Physics Preference

CFD

Solver Preference
Fluent or CFX
Fluent is used initially, but results for the CFX
setting are also presented

Set Sizing parameters


Set Use Advanced Size Function
On: Curvature

Set Curvature Normal Angle to 15


Set Min Size to 0.20 mm
Maintain all other defaults

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Inflation and Pinch Parameters

Training Manual

10. Set Inflation parameters

Click drop-list for Use Automatic Tet Inflation and select Program Controlled,
leave all others as default
Note: Program Controlled Inflation will add inflation on all boundaries that do
not have assigned Name Selection. It does not add inflation to Fluid-Fluid
interfaces
Note: Smooth Transition provides a transition between the inflation layers and
the tetrahedral mesh following the specified Growth Rate

Set Maximum Layers to 4


Activate View Advanced Options
Note: Layer Compression is the default Collision Avoidance
for Fluent and Stair Stepping is default for CFX

11. Set Pinch control

Note: When edge length or distance between vertices is less than the pinch
tolerance, software will ignore the edge or remove extra vertex during meshing

Set Pinch Tolerance = 0.15 mm


Activate Generate on Refresh

Note: Pinch Tolerance should be


smaller than Size Function Min Size

12. Set Mesh Metrics to Skewness ( for Fluent)


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Pinch Controls

Training Manual

13. Create Pinch control :

Right-Mouse-Button -click in the Tree (RMB (Tree))


Select Create Pinch Controls
10 Pinch Controls are created (Expand the Mesh button to list the pinch
controls)

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Appendix A: Mesh Quality

Viewing Pinch Controls

Training Manual

14.View the Pinch Controls


Ctrl Left-Mouse-Button Select the Pinch controls, these will be
highlighted in the viewing window

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Appendix A: Mesh Quality

Sweep Method

Training Manual

15. Assign Sweep Method to the inlet and outlet bodies:


Select Mesh button in Tree
Select the bodies (as shown below)
Set the Cursor Mode to Body Selection
Left-Mouse-Button click (Select) one sweepable body
Hold Ctrl key and select the second body

Insert Method
Right-Mouse-Button -click in the graphics window (RMB (Window))
Insert - Method
The Automatic Method form appears

In the Automatic Method form


Select Sweep from the

pull-down menu

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Appendix A: Mesh Quality

Sweep Method Settings

Training Manual

16. Set Sweep Method controls

Src/Trg Selection;
Select Manual Source
Click on the Source Selection Field

This will activate the face picker

Hold the Ctrl key and pick both the Inlet


and the Outlet face
Apply the Selection

Outlet
Inlet

Additional Settings

Set Free Face Mesh Type; All Quad


Set Sweep Num Divs; 20
Set Sweep Bias Type; _ __ ___ __ _
Set Sweep Bias; 4

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Appendix A: Mesh Quality

Inflating the Sweep

Training Manual

17. 2D-Inflation on swept bodies:

Pick Faces;
Set the Cursor Mode to Face Selection
Select the Inlet and Outlet faces (green)
RMB (Window) Insert-Inflation

Pick Edges
Set the Cursor Mode to Edge selection
Select four edges surrounding the
inlet and outlet faces (marked in red)
Apply the selection

Inflation Settings
Set Maximum Thickness:
3.0 mm
Maintain all other options

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Appendix A: Mesh Quality

Initial Surface Mesh

Training Manual

18. Surface-mesh the model:

Right-click on Mesh and select Preview Surface Mesh


This will provide us with feedback about mesh quality and density

The Advanced Size Function creates a very fine mesh in the swept bodies,

We can reduce the size by specifying the edge intervals on the Inlet and Outlet

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Appendix A: Mesh Quality

Edge Sizing

Training Manual

19. Scoped edge mesh on swept bodies:

Insert Scoped Edge Size ;


Activate edge picker
Pick the four edges
surrounding the
inlet and outlet faces
Right-click
Insert ->Sizing

Set Parameters
Change the Type

Number of Divisions; 20

Change Behavior; Hard

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Preview Inflation

Training Manual

20. Check the inflation layer: (Optional)

Right-click on Mesh and select Preview Inflation


View the mesh Statistics, mesh size and max skew is around 310000
and 0.92 respectively
We are ready for volume meshing

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Appendix A: Mesh Quality

Volume Mesh with Fluent Settings

Training Manual

21. Mesh the model:

RMB (Tree) select Generate Mesh


Again, check the Statistics for the total element count and Max Skewness
which will be around 926000 and 0.92 respectively

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Appendix A: Mesh Quality

Using a Section Plane to View Internal Mesh

Training Manual

22. Create a Section Plane:

Click on the Z-Axis at the lower


right corner to orient the model
Click the Selection Plane icon
Press and hold the left mouse
button while moving along the
indicated red arrow then release
The position of the Section
Plane can be adjusted by
moving the slider bar

Click on Show Whole Element

Reselect the rotation button to


adjust the view

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Appendix A: Mesh Quality

Viewing the Worst Elements

Training Manual

23. Rotate the geometry to view the mesh

RMB (Tree) Show Worst Elements


Note the location; far from the main flow field

Tip: Select Wireframe from the


View menu to help see the element

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Appendix A: Mesh Quality

CFX Solver Preference

Training Manual

24. Using CFX Solver Preference (optional)

Change Solver Preference: CFX


RMB (Tree) select Generate Mesh
Note the higher Max Skewness for the CFX Solver settings

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Appendix A: Mesh Quality

Checking the Quality in FEModeler

Training Manual

25. Check quality in FEModeler (optional)

Meshing application
RMB (Tree) Update
Close Meshing Application

Workbench 2
Drag-and-Drop FE Modeler on
top of Mesh in the Project Schematic
Double click on Model

FEModeler
RMB (Tree) Insert Mesh Metrics
Mesh Metrics - Valve 4 Node
Linear Tetrahedron
Set Mesh Metric Type: Aspect Ratio
Max aspect ratio is less than 50

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Appendix A: Mesh Quality

Saving the Project

Training Manual

26.The mesh is now complete

Select File > Close to close FEModeler

In the WB panel select Update


In the WB panel select File > Save Project As and give the project a
name

Exit from ANSYS Workbench by selecting File > Exit

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