Grid and Mesh Generation

Introduction to its Concepts and Methods

Elements in a CFD software system

Introduction
What is a grid ?
The arrangement of the discrete points throughout the flow field is simply called a grid.

What is grid generation ?

The way that a grid is determined is called grid generation.

Introduction
Why is grid generation necessary ?
The standard finite difference methods require a uniformly spaced rectangular grid. If a rectangular grid is used, few grid points fall on the surface. Flow close to the surface being very important in terms of forces, a rectangular grid will give poor results in such regions. The rectangular grid is not appropriate for solution of the flow field.

Introduction
How to overcame those problems ?
Use a nonuniform, curvilinear grid to make the grid points naturally fall on the airfoil surface.
The grid is not rectangular and is not uniformly spaced. The conventional difference equations are difficult to use. Need to transform the curvilinear grid in physical space (x,y) to a rectangular grid in computational space (, ).

Introduction
The procedure is as follows:
Establish the transformation relations between the physical space and the computational space Transform the governing equations and the boundary conditions into the computational space. Solve the equations in the computational space using the uniformly spaced rectangular grid. Perform a reverse transformation to represent the flow properties in the physical space.

Outline
General transformation Grid Generation
Stretched (compressed ) grids Boundary-fitted coordinate system Adaptive grids Some modern development in grid generation

Mesh Generation for Finite-Volume Method

Unstructured Meshes Cartesian Meshes

Physical Space & Computational Space

If the airfoil is cut and the surface straightened out, it would form the x-axis. Similarly, the outer boundary would become the top boundary of the computational domain. The left and right boundaries of the computational domain would represent the cut surface. Note the locations of points a, b, and c in the two figures.

General transformation
The basic idea behind grid generation is the creation of the transformation laws between the physical space and the computational space. There is a one-to-one correspondence between the physical space and the computational space.
Each point in the computational space represents a point in the physical space.

These laws are known as the metrics of the transformation.

Transformation Relationship
= ( x, y, z ), = ( x, y, z ) and = ( x, y, z )

u x v x w x

u y v y w y

u z v z w z

u v = w

u v w

u v w

x x x

y y y

z z z

Jacobin matrix

x J = x x

y y y

z z z

J 1

x y = z

x y z

x y z

 Evaluation of the Transformation Parameters

Typically the mapping is only defined at grid and the transformation parameters must be evaluated numerically. The same means of discretization should be used for the evaluation of the transformation parameters and the derivative in the governing equations
x x j +1,k x j 1,k

j +1,k j 1, k
y j +1, k y j 1, k

x j , k +1 x j , k 1

j , k +1 j , k 1
y j , k +1 y j , k 1

j +1, k j 1, k

j , k +1 j , k 1

x =

x j 1, k 2 x j , k + x j +1, k 2 x j , k 1 2 x j , k + x j , k +1 2

x =

 The governing equations in generalized coordinates

The continuity equation in Cartesian coordinates

u v =0 + + y x t
The continuity equation in generalized coordinates

( )t + ( ) + ( ) = 0 J J J
where

U c

V c

U c = xu + y v

V c = xu + y v

Formulation of grid generation problems

In the view of physics
Find out topological correspondence between the physical and computational domains

In the view of mathematics

Given x = xb(, ) and y = y b(, ) on the boundary R. Generate x = x(, ) and y = y (, ) in the region R bounded by R

Grid Generation Methods

Algebraic methods Elliptic Grid Generation Adaptive grids Some examples of modern development in grid generation
3-D dimensional boundary-fitted coordinate + adaptive grid Zonal grids Hybrid scheme Overlapping block

Algebraic Methods
Concepts
Known functions are used to map irregular physical domain into rectangular computational domains.

Examples
Stretched (compressed ) grids Boundary Fitted Coordinate System

Example: Stretched (compressed ) grids

Grid stretching may be necessary for some problems such as flow with boundary layers. Consider the transformation:

=x = ln( y + 1)
Inverse transformation

x = y = e 1

Example: Stretched (compressed ) grids

The following derivatives are used in the transformation

=x = ln( y + 1)

= 1, x = 0, x

=0 y 1 = y 1 + y

x = y = e 1

x = 1, x = 0,

y = 0 y = e

Example: Stretched (compressed ) grids

The relation between increments y and dy = e d dy = e d y = e

Therefore as increases, y increases exponentially. Thus we can choose constant and still have an exponential stretching of the grid in the y-direction.

Example: Stretched (compressed ) grids

Transform the continuity equation

Note there is relation between (x,y) plane and (,) plane

Example: Stretched (compressed ) grids

Substitute for the derivatives in Eq. (5.54) to get

Eq. (5.57) is the continuity equation in the computational domain. Thus we have transformed the continuity equation from the physical space to the computational space.

Boundary Fitted Coordinate System

Here we consider the flow through a divergent duct de is the curved upper wall fg is the centerline. Let ys = f(x) be the function that represents the upper wall. The following transformation will give rise to a rectangular grid.

=x = y / ymax

(5.65) (5.66)

Boundary Fitted Coordinate System

Example:
ymax = x 2 .......1 x 2

= x,

y ymax

y x2

= 1, =0 x y y = 2 3 = 2 = 2 x x x 1 1 = 2 = 2 y x

Elliptic Grid Generation

The grid generation problem can be considered as a boundary-value problem, where the boundary conditions (namely, values of x and y) are known everywhere along the boundary.
Given x = xb(, ) and y = y b(, ) on the boundary R. Generate x = x(, ) and y = y (, ) in the region R bounded by R. The transformation can be defined by an elliptic partial differential equation.

Elliptic Grid Generation

Simplest elliptic equations
2 2 + 2 =0 2 x y 2 2 + 2 =0 2 y x

Comments
The elliptic equations are chosen to relate and to x and y and hence constitute a transformation ( one-to-one correspondence of grid points) from the physical plane to the computational plane.

Elliptic Grid Generation

An Example:

Adaptive Grids
Motivation
Grid generation is important for the solution of CFD

Adaptive Grids
Motivation - Why need adaptive grids ?
We should put more grid points in the flow field with large gradients, and put less grid points in the flow field with small gradients. How do we know in advance where the major action is going to occur in the flow without actually solving the problem ? An adaptive grid is a solution !

Adaptive Grids
What is an adaptive grid ?
A grid network that automatically clusters grid points in the regions of high flow-field gradient; It uses the solution of the flow-field properties to locate the grid points in physical plane. It is intimately linked to the flow-field solution and changes as the flow field changes.
During the course of the solution, the grid points in the physical plane move in such a fashion to adapt to regions of large flow-field gradients as these gradients evolve with time. It became stationary only when the flow solution approach a steady state.

Adaptive Grids
Example

Some Modern Developments

3-D dimensional boundary-fitted coordinate + adaptive grid

F-20

Some Modern Developments

Zonal grids (Multi-block methods)
The grid consists of two or more blocks Each block is a separate grid different from the others.

Some Modern Developments

A zonal grid wrapped an F-16 airplane. Surface grid is shown as part of a 20-block grid.

Some Modern Developments in FiniteVolume Mesh Generation

What is a structured mesh ?
The grid lines in physical space pertain to constant coordinate values , and in the transformed space. A given family of coordinate lines do not intersect.

What is an unstructured mesh ?

Nonuniform grids in physical space, not necessarily having the features of a structured mesh.

The finite-volume calculations can be made directly in the physical plane on a nonuniform mesh.

Some Modern Developments in FiniteVolume Mesh Generation

Examples for structured meshes and unstructured meshes

structured meshes

unstructured meshes

Return to Cartesian Meshes

Ordinary Cartesian Meshes
Easy to generate rectangular cells Not accurate in the region adjacent to the body surface

Modified Cartesian Meshes

The mesh cells away from the body can be rectangular Those cells adjacent to the body can be modified in the shape such that one side of each cell is along the body surface.

Return to Cartesian Meshes

Schematic diagram of modified Cartesian meshes

Return to Cartesian Meshes

Modified Cartesian meshes + Adaptive concept
A Cartesian mesh for the calculation of the subsonic flow over multielement airfoil

Return to Cartesian Meshes

Modified Cartesian meshes + Adaptive concept
A Cartesian mesh for the calculation of the hypersonic flow over a double ellipsoid, a configuration somewhat like the space shuttle

Overlapping block
This approach consists of building partially overlapping blocks. Boundary conditions need to be exchanged at the interface between domains and this is usually done through some form of interpolation.

Hybrid scheme
The hybrid scheme takes advantage of both unstructured and structured methods by applying structured body fitted coordinates to the body and unstructured networks in the outer boundaries.

Final Remarks
A transformation is required for finite-difference methods, because the finite-difference expressions are evaluated on the uniform grid. A transformation is inherently not required for finitevolume methods, because it can deal directly with a nonuniform mesh in the physical plane.