Some algorithms to correct a geometry in order to create a finite element mesh

Published in Computers and Structures Vol. 80 (16-17), pp. 1399-1408, 2002
doi: 10.1016/S0045-7949(02)00105-0

Abstract

One of the major difficulties in meshing 3D complex geometries is to deal with non-proper geometrical definitions coming from CAD systems. Typically, CAD systems do not take care of the proper definition of the geometries for the analysis purposes. In addition, the use of standard CAD files (IGES, VDA, …) for the transfer of geometries between different systems introduce some additional difficulties. In this work, a collection of algorithms to repair and/or to improve the geometry definitions are provided. The aim of these algorithms is to make as easy as possible the generation of a mesh over complex geometries given some minimum requirements of quality and correctness. The geometrical model will be considered as composed of a set of NURBS lines and trimmed surfaces. Some examples of application of the algorithms and of the meshes generated from the corrected geometry are also presented in this work.