9.

Meshing

E. Hex-to-Tet Meshing
F. Mesh Extrusion
G. Sweep Meshing
H. Workshop

B. Controlling Mesh Density

C. Changing a Mesh

D. Mapped Meshing

Topics covered:

A. Multiple Element Attributes

In this chapter, we will expand on each of these steps and

also discuss additional meshing options.

Generate the mesh

Specify mesh controls

Define element attributes

Recall that meshing is a three-step procedure:

Overview

Meshing

TYPE 1 = shell
TYPE 2 = beam

REAL 1 = 3/8 thickness

REAL 2 = beam properties
REAL 3 = 1/8 thickness

MAT 1 = concrete
MAT 2 = steel

Most FEA models have multiple attributes. For example, the silo
shown here has two element types, three real constant sets, and two
materials.

Material properties (MAT)

Real constants (REAL)

Element type (TYPE)

As we discussed earlier, every element has the following attributes

associated with it:

A. Multiple Element Attributes

Meshing

If no assignments are made, ANSYS uses default settings of

MAT=1, TYPE=1, and REAL=1 for all elements in the model.

Modify element attributes after meshing

Activate a global setting of MAT, TYPE, and REAL before

meshing

Assign attributes to the solid model entities before meshing

Whenever you have multiple TYPEs, REALs and MATs, you

need to make sure that each element is assigned the proper
attributes. There are three ways to do this:

...Multiple Element Attributes

Meshing

3. When you mesh an entity, its attributes are

automatically transferred to the elements.

Or select the desired entities and use the

VATT, AATT, LATT, or KATT command.

Set the appropriate attributes in the subsequent

dialog box.

Pick the entities to which you want to assign

attributes.

Choose entity type and press the SET button.

2. Then use the Element Attributes section of

the MeshTool (Preprocessor > MeshTool):

1. Define all necessary element types, materials,

and real constant sets.

Assigning Attributes to the Solid Model

...Multiple Element Attributes

Meshing

3. Mesh only those entities to which the

above settings apply.

Or use the TYPE, REAL, and MAT

commands.

Activate the desired combination of

attributes in the Meshing Attributes
dialog box. We refer to these as the
active TYPE, REAL, and MAT settings.

Choose Global and press the SET button.

2. Then use the Element Attributes

section of the MeshTool (Preprocessor >
MeshTool):

1. Define all necessary element types,

materials, and real constant sets.

Using Global Attribute Settings

...Multiple Element Attributes

Meshing

4. In the subsequent dialog box,

set attributes to All to current.

Then pick the desired elements

Issue EMODIF,PICK or choose Preprocessor > Move/Modiry > -ElementsModify Attrib

3. Modify the attributes of only those elements to which the above

settings apply:

Or use the TYPE, REAL, and MAT commands

Preprocessor > -Attributes- Define > Default Attribs...

2. Activate the desired combination of TYPE, REAL, and MAT settings:

1. Define all necessary element types, materials, and real constant

sets.

Modifying Element Attributes

...Multiple Element Attributes

Meshing

Element attributes assigned directly to solid model entities will

override the default attribute pointers.

By assigning attributes to solid model entities, you can avoid having

to reset attributes in the middle of meshing operations. This is
advantageous because ANSYS meshing algorithms are most
efficient when meshing all entities at once.

Clearing a solid model entity of its mesh will not delete attribute
assignments.

Or /PNUM,attr,ON, where attr may be TYPE, MAT,

or REAL

Utility Menu > PlotCtrls > Numbering

You can verify element attributes by activating

attribute numbering:

Some points to keep in mind:

...Multiple Element Attributes

Meshing

Area sizing

Line sizing

Keypoint sizing

Local controls

Default sizing

Global element sizing

SmartSizing

Global controls

ANSYS provides many tools to control mesh density, both on

a global and local level:

B. Controlling Mesh Density

Meshing

Determines element sizes by assigning divisions on all lines,

taking into account curvature of the line, its proximity to
holes and other features, and element order.

SmartSizing is off by default, but is recommended for free

meshing. It does not affect mapped meshing. (Free meshing
vs. mapped meshing will be discussed later.)

SmartSizing

...Controlling Mesh Density

Meshing

Then mesh all volumes (or all areas) at once, rather

than one-by-one.

Size level ranges from 1 (very fine) to 10 (very

coarse). Defaults to 6.

Or use SMRT,level

Bring up the MeshTool (Preprocessor > MeshTool),

turn on SmartSizing, and set the desired size level.

To use SmartSizing:

...Controlling Mesh Density

Meshing

Examples of different SmartSize

levels are shown here for a
tetrahedron mesh.

Advanced SmartSize controls,

such as mesh expansion and
transition factors, are available
on the SMRT command (or
Preprocessor > -Meshing- Size
Cntrls > -SmartSize- Adv Opts...)

You can turn off SmartSizing

using the MeshTool or by
issuing smrt,off.

...Controlling Mesh Density

Meshing

With SmartSizing on, ESIZE acts as a guide,

but the specified size may be overridden to
accommodate line curvature or proximity to
features.

Using ESIZE by itself (SmartSizing off) will result

in a uniform element size throughout the volume
(or area) being meshed.

Can be used by itself or in conjunction with

SmartSizing.

or Preprocessor > -Meshing- Size Cntrls > -Global- Size

or Preprocessor > MeshTool > Size Controls - Globl [Set]

ESIZE,SIZE

Allows you to specify a maximum element edge length

for the entire model (or number of divisions per line):

Global Element Sizing

...Controlling Mesh Density

Meshing

If you dont specify any controls, ANSYS uses default sizing,

which assigns minimum and maximum line divisions, aspect
ratio, etc. based on element order.

Meant for mapped meshing, but is also used for free meshing
if SmartSizing is off.

You can adjust default size specifications using DESIZE or

Preprocessor > -Meshing- Size Cntrls > -Global- Other.

Default Sizing

...Controlling Mesh Density

Meshing

Useful for stress concentration regions.

Specified sizes may be overridden by SmartSizing

to accommodate line curvature or proximity to
features.

Different keypoints can have different KESIZEs,

giving you more control over the mesh.

or Preprocessor > -Meshing- Size Cntrls > -Keypoints-

or KESIZE command

Preprocessor > MeshTool > Size Controls: Keypt [Set]

Controls element size at keypoints:

Keypoint Sizing

...Controlling Mesh Density

Meshing

You can also specify a spacing ratio ratio of

last division to first. Used to bias the divisions
towards one end or towards the middle.

Soft sizes may be overridden by SmartSizing.

Hard sizes are always honored by the mesher,

even if SmartSizing is on. They take precedence
over all other size controls.

Size specifications may be hard or soft.

Different lines can have different LESIZEs.

or Preprocessor > -Meshing- Size Cntrls > -Lines-

or LESIZE command

Preprocessor > MeshTool > Size Controls: Lines [Set]

Controls element size at lines:

Line Sizing

...Controlling Mesh Density

Meshing

Yes for soft

No for hard

Bounding lines will use the specified size only if they

have no LESIZE or KESIZE specified and if no
adjacent area has a smaller size.

Specified sizes may be overridden by SmartSizing to

accommodate line curvature or proximity to features.

Different areas can have different AESIZEs.

or Preprocessor > -Meshing- Size Cntrls > -Areas-

or AESIZE command

Preprocessor > MeshTool > Size Controls: Areas [Set]

Controls element size in the interior of areas:

Area Sizing

...Controlling Mesh Density

Meshing

3. Mesh again.

2. Specify new or different mesh controls.

(If you are using the MeshTool, you may skip this step
since the program will prompt you whether to clear or
not when you execute step 3.)

Use the [Clear] button on the MeshTool, or use

VCLEAR, ACLEAR, etc.

The clear operation is the opposite of mesh: it

removes nodes and elements.

1. Clear the mesh.

If a mesh is not acceptable, you can always re-mesh

the model by following these steps:

C. Changing a Mesh

Meshing

Finally, choose the level of refinement.

Level 1 (minimal refinement) is a good
starting point.

Pick the entities at which you want the

mesh to be refined. (Not required if you
choose All Elems.)

Then choose how you want to specify

the region of refinement at nodes,
elements, keypoints, lines, or areas
and press the Refine button.

First save the database.

Easiest way is to use the MeshTool:

Available for all area elements and only

tetrahedral volume elements.

Another meshing option is to refine the

mesh in specific regions.

...Changing a Mesh

Meshing

Free Mesh

Suitable only for regular areas and volumes

such as rectangles and bricks.

Typically has a regular pattern with obvious rows

of elements.

Restricts element shapes to quadrilaterals for

areas and hexahedra (bricks) for volumes.

Mapped Mesh

Suitable for complex shaped areas and volumes.

The mesh does not follow any pattern.

Has no element shape restrictions.

There are two main meshing methods: free and

mapped.

D. Mapped Meshing

Meshing

 Only higher-order (10-node)

tetrahedral elements are
acceptable, so the number of
DOF can be very high.

Volume meshes can contain

only tetrahedra, resulting in a
large number of elements.

+ Easy to create; no need to

divide complex shapes into
regular shapes.

Free Mesh

...Mapped Meshing

Meshing

Very difficult to achieve,

especially for complex shaped
volumes.

Areas and volumes must be

regular in shape, and mesh
divisions must meet certain
criteria.

+ Aesthetically pleasing.

+ Lower-order elements may be

acceptable, so the number of
DOF is lower.

+ Generally contains a lower

number of elements.

Mapped Mesh

Create a free mesh is easy:

Or use the commands VMESH,ALL or AMESH,ALL.

Press [Pick All] in the picker to choose all

entities (recommended).

Then initiate the mesh by pressing the Mesh button.

SmartSizing is generally recommended for free

meshing, so activate it and specify a size level.
Save the database.

Bring up the MeshTool and verify that free meshing

is set.

Free meshing is the default setting for both area

and volume meshes.

Creating a Free Mesh

...Mapped Meshing

Meshing

For triangular areas or tetrahedral volumes, the number of

element divisions must be even.

Element divisions on opposite sides must match.

Volume must contain either 4, 5, or 6 areas (tetrahedron,

triangular prism, or hexahedron).

Area must contain either 3 or 4 lines (triangle or quadrilateral).

This is not as easy as free meshing because the areas and

volumes have to meet certain requirements:

Creating a Mapped Mesh

...Mapped Meshing

Meshing

 For quadrilateral areas or hexahedral volumes, unequal

divisions are allowed, as shown in these examples, but the
number of divisions must satisfy a formula (shown on the
next page).

...Mapped Meshing

Meshing

...Mapped Meshing

Meshing

Generate the mesh

Specify size and shape controls

Ensure regular shapes, i.e, areas with 3 or 4 sides, or volumes

with 4, 5, or 6 sides.

Thus mapped meshing involves a three-step procedure:

...Mapped Meshing

Meshing

Concatenate two or more lines (or areas) to reduce the total

number of sides.

Slice the areas (or volumes) into smaller, simpler shapes.

In most cases, the model geometry is such that the areas

have more than 4 sides, and volumes have more that 6 sides.
To convert these to regular shapes, you may need to do one
or both of these operations:

Ensure regular shapes

...Mapped Meshing

Meshing

Sometimes, it may be easier to create a new line or a new area

than to move and orient the working plane in the correct
direction.

Remember that you can use the working plane, an area, or a line
as the slicing tool.

Slicing can be accomplished with the Boolean divide

operation.

...Mapped Meshing

Meshing

Concatenating
these two lines
makes this a
4-sided area

For area concatenation, use ACCAT command or Preprocessor >

-Meshing- Concatenate > Areas

Use the LCCAT command or Preprocessor > -MeshingConcatenate > Lines, then pick the lines to be concatenated.

Concatenation creates a new line that is a combination of two

or more lines, thereby reducing the number of lines making
up the area.

...Mapped Meshing

Meshing

Press the Mesh button, pick the area, and then pick
the 3 or 4 corners that form the regular shape.

Then change 3/4 sided to Pick cornrs.

To do this, choose Quad shape and Map mesh in the

MeshTool.

You can also imply a concatenation by simply

identifying the three or four corners of the area. In
this case, ANSYS internally generates the
concatenation.

...Mapped Meshing

Meshing

Consider the add (Boolean) operation if the lines or areas meet at a

tangent.

Concatenating areas (for mapped volume meshing) is generally much

more complicated because you may also need to concatenate some
lines. Lines are automatically concatenated only when two adjacent, 4sided areas are concatenated.

You can "undo" a concatenation by deleting the line or area it produced.

It is purely a meshing operation and therefore should be the last step

before meshing, after all solid modeling operations. This is because the
output entity obtained from a concatenation cannot be used in any
subsequent solid modeling operation.

Notes on concatenation:

...Mapped Meshing

Meshing

Choosing the shape is simple. In the MeshTool,

choose Quad for area meshing, and Hex for volume
meshing, then click on Map.

Commonly used size controls and the order in which

they are applied:

(SmartSizing is not valid.)

Default element sizing [DESIZE] will be applied to

unsized lines only if ESIZE is not specified.

Global element size , if specified, will be applied to

unsized lines.

Line sizing [LESIZE] is always honored.

This is the second step of the three-step mapped

meshing procedure.

Specify size and shape controls

...Mapped Meshing

Meshing

How many divisions are

used for the other two
lines? (Upcoming demo
will answer it.)

12 divisions will be
automatically applied to
this line (opposite to
composite line).

6 divisions specified on
each original line.

if you have concatenated lines, divisions can only be applied to

the original (input) lines, not the composite line.

divisions on opposite sides must match, but you only need to

specify one side. The map mesher automatically transfers
divisions to the opposite side.

If you specify line divisions, remember that:

...Mapped Meshing

Meshing

Once you have ensured regular shapes and assigned the

appropriate divisions, generating the mesh is easy. Just
press the Mesh button in the MeshTool, then press [Pick All]
in the picker or choose the desired entities.

Generate the mapped mesh

...Mapped Meshing

Meshing

Question: How would

you slice this model for
mapped meshing?

Answer: It may not be worth

the effort!

...Mapped Meshing

Meshing

Hex-to-tet meshing provides a third option that

is the best of both worlds. It allows you to
have a combination of hex and tet meshes
without compromising the integrity of the
mesh.

Mapped meshing, which creates an all-hex

mesh. This is desirable but usually very difficult
to achieve.

Free meshing, which creates an all-tet mesh.

This is easy to achieve but may not be desirable
in some cases because of the large number of
elements and total DOF created.

For volume meshing, we have only seen two

options so far:

E. Hex-to-Tet Meshing

Meshing

Results are good even in the transition

region. Element faces are compatible
even when transitioning from a linear
hex element to a quadratic tet element.
SOLID95

Available only for element types that support both pyramid and tet
shapes, e.g:
Structural SOLID95, 186, VISCO89
Thermal SOLID90
Multiphysics SOLID62, 117, 122

The mesher first creates all tets, then combines and rearranges the tet
elements in the transition region to form pyramids.

Requires the hex mesh to be available (or at least a quad mesh at the
shared area).

This option works by creating pyramid-shaped elements in the

transition region between hex and tet regions.

...Hex-to-Tet Meshing

Meshing

Linear
to
Quadratic

Quadratic
to
Quadratic

8-Node Hex

20-Node Hex

Hex Mesh

9-Node Pyramid

13-Node Pyramid

Transition Layer

10-Node Tet

10-Node Tet

Tet Mesh

Hex-to-tet meshing is valid for both quadratic-to-quadratic and linear-toquadratic transitions. Element type must support a 9-node pyramid for
the latter.

...Hex-to-Tet Meshing

Meshing

 For stress analysis, use either an 8-node brick (SOLID45 or

SOLID185) or a 20-node brick (SOLID95 or SOLID186).

Start by map-meshing the regular-shaped volumes. (Or mesh

the shared areas with quads.)

1. Create the hex mesh.

Procedure involves four steps:

...Hex-to-Tet Meshing

Meshing

 Multiphysics SOLID62, 117, 122

Thermal SOLID90

Structural SOLID95, 186, VISCO89

Examples:

These are usually brick elements that can degenerate into

pyramids and tets. Check the Elements Manual, available online, to find out which element types are valid.

2. Activate an element type that supports both pyramids and

tets.

...Hex-to-Tet Meshing

Meshing

Pyramids are automatically generated at the interface.

Then mesh the volumes that are to be tet-meshed.

First activate free meshing.

3. Generate the tet mesh.

...Hex-to-Tet Meshing

Meshing

 Or use the TCHG command.

Preprocessor > -Meshing- Modify Mesh > Change Tets...

To convert the degenerate tets into true tets:

These elements are not as efficient as true 10-node tets such as

SOLID92, which use less memory and write smaller files during
solution.

The tet mesh created by the transition mesher consists of

degenerate elements 10-node tetrahedra derived from 20node bricks, for example.

4. Convert degenerate tets to true 10-node tets.

...Hex-to-Tet Meshing

Meshing

Advantage: Easy to create a volume mesh with all bricks

(hexahedra) or a combination of bricks and prisms.

Obvious requirement: Shape of the volume must lend itself to

extrusion.

Extrude

When you extrude an area into a volume, you can extrude the area
elements along with it, resulting in a meshed volume. This is called
mesh extrusion.

F. Mesh Extrusion

Meshing

 ET command or Preprocessor > Element

Type > Add/Edit/Delete

Volume element: Should be compatible

with the MESH200 element type. For
example, if you choose midside nodes for
MESH200, the 3-D solid element should
also have midside nodes.

Area element: Choose MESH200

quadrilaterals. MESH200 is a mesh-only
element and has no DOFs or material
properties associated with it.

1. Define two element types an area

element and a volume element.

Procedure

...Mesh Extrusion

Meshing

 Number of element divisions in the

extrusion direction (i.e, number of
elements through the thickness).
Must be greater than zero; otherwise,
only the area will be extruded, without
elements.

Active TYPE attribute (should be 3-D

solid).

Typical options are:

EXTOPT command or Preprocessor >

Operate > Extrude > Elem Ext Opts

3. Choose element extrusion options.

Preprocessor > MeshTool

Use mapped or free meshing with desired mesh density.

2. Mesh the area to be extruded with MESH200 elements.

...Mesh Extrusion

Meshing

 Then extrude the area using any of the extrusion methods.

Preprocessor > -Meshing- Concatenate > -Del Concats- Lines

First delete concatenated lines, if any. If concatenations are

present, ANSYS will not allow the extrusion operation.

4. Extrude the area.

...Mesh Extrusion

Meshing

Sweep meshing is yet another option available for volume

meshing. It is the process of meshing an existing volume by
sweeping an area mesh.

Similar to mesh extrusion, except that the volume already

exists in this case (from a geometry import, for example).

G. Sweep Meshing

Meshing

Source and target surfaces must be

single areas. Concatenated areas are
not allowed for either the source or the
target.

Topology of the volume must be

consistent in the sweep direction.
Example: a block with a through hole
(ok even if the hole is tapered).

Requirements:

Option to tet-mesh volumes that are

not sweepable. Transition pyramids
are automatically generated.

Easy to create a volume mesh with all

bricks (hexahedra) or a combination of
bricks and prisms.

Advantages:

...Sweep Meshing

Meshing

Not valid for sweep meshing

Valid for sweep meshing

Source surface
(1 area)

Target surface
(1 area)

Choose how the source and target surfaces are

identified:

Bring up MeshTool and choose Hex/Wedge and

Sweep.

Press the SWEEP button and follow prompt

instructions from the picker. (Or use VSWEEP
command.)

Pick Source/Target means that you will be

choosing them.

Auto Source/Target means that ANSYS will

automatically choose them based on the volumes
topology.

Define and activate a 3-D hexahedral solid element

type, such as structural SOLID45 or SOLID95.

Procedure

...Sweep Meshing

Meshing

To use this option:

Choose Preprocessor > -Meshing- Mesh > Volume Sweep- Sweep Opts and activate
the tet-mesh option. (Or use the
EXTOPT,VSWE command.)

Multiphysics SOLID62, 117, 122

Thermal SOLID90

Structural SOLID95, 186, VISCO89

Make sure that the element type supports

degenerate pyramid and tetrahedron
shapes. Examples:

A useful sweep option is to generate a

tet-mesh in non-sweepable volumes.

Tet-Mesh Option

...Sweep Meshing

Meshing

To map-mesh a complex volume, you may need to slice it

several times and also do some area and line concatenations.
For sweep meshing, you typically need only a few slicing
operations, and no concatenations are needed!

You can control the source area mesh using standard mesh
controls. SmartSizing is generally not recommended since it
is meant for free meshing.

Notes

...Sweep Meshing

Meshing

W8D. Wheel

W8C. Cotter Pin

W8B. Connecting Rod

W8A. Pillow Block

This workshop consists of four exercises:

H. Workshop

Meshing