Modeling of Deforming,

Translating, and Rotating

Meshes with COMSOL
Multiphysics

2015 COMSOL. All rights reserved.

Part 1: Modeling arbitrary

translations of an object
within a surrounding domain

Objective: Model a translating object

which will deform the mesh in the
surrounding domains
The path of the blue object
within the red domain is
known
Need to deform the mesh in
the red domain using the
Deformed Geometry
interface and a Coefficient
Form Boundary PDE as
helper variables

First, split the red domain up into

convex quadrilateral domains
Surround the moving
object with another
domain, and add four
lines to subdivide the
red domain.
A representative mesh is
shown for illustrative
purposes

Add variables to define the

motion

Deformed Geometry
Interface

Default Settings are

used

Deformation can be defined in two

of the domains

Surrounding domains can deform

freely based upon boundary conditions

Displacement is prescribed on all

outer boundaries

Displacement at these boundaries is

known

Displacement is prescribed on all

outer boundaries

Displacement at these boundaries is

zero

Displacement is prescribed on
interior boundaries via help variables

XHelp and YHelp are

computed with the
Coefficient Form
Boundary PDE

Coefficient Form Boundary PDE solves for a

linear variation of the help variables along
interior boundaries
Defined on interior
boundaries
Set the units to displacement
(meters)
Default
Settings
User-defined Names

Solve Laplaces equation along each

boundary to get a linear variation

Diagonal terms of the

c matric are unity, all
other coefficients are
set to zero

Dirichlet conditions set the

displacements at the points

Dirichlet conditions set the

displacements at the points

Study Settings: Solve using Fully

Coupled Approach and with
Automatic Remeshing

Fully Coupled is
Enabled

Toggled ON

Results at different times

Initial

Before
Remeshing

After Remeshing

Time

Same approach works in 3D, but need

helper variables at boundaries & edges

Same approach works in 3D, but need

helper variables at boundaries & edges

3D Deforming Mesh

Part 2: Modeling large linear

translations of an object
within a surrounding domain

Objective: Model a linearly translating

object which goes through large
relative motion

The previously developed approach cannot

be used here, due to the geometry of the
surrounding domain

First, partition the domains through

which the part will be translating.
Create two different
geometry objects for the red
and the blue domains, and
make sure to use the Form
Assembly functionality and
create Identity Pairs.
Identity Pairs will be used to
maintain continuity of the
fields across these
boundaries.

The Form Assembly will lead to a

discontinuous mesh across the domain
boundaries
There is no deformation
of the red domains
The dark blue domain has
a prescribed deformation
The light blue domains
deform using the
approach developed in
the previous section
A mapped mesh is used since we know
that the mesh will the stretching and
compressing.

Results at different times

Part 3: Modeling rotations of

an object within a
surrounding domain

Objective: Model a rotation object

Origin: (X0, Y0)

Cannot use a deforming mesh approach in

this case.

Partition the surrounding domain

with a circle within which the part
can rotate
Create two different geometry
objects for the red and the blue
domains, and make sure to use the
Form Assembly functionality and
create Identity Pairs.
Identity Pairs will be used to
maintain continuity of the fields
across the boundaries.
There is no deformation of the red
domain.
The blue domain experiences a
prescribed rotation.

Variables are used to define the

rotation about the global origin

The rotation is prescribed with respect

to the undeformed coordinates: Xg,Yg

Results at different times