ICEM CFD 5.

1 New Features

Workshop 14
Automatic Hex Meshing of a
Bent Bar

ANSYS ICEM CFD v5.1

Create a Project

Workshop

Choose Open Project Icon

Browse to the desired working directory
Enter the project name
Type in the File name as: BentBar.prj

Tips:
The pull down next to the file name can be used
to quickly locate recently used projects.
In Windows, The File browser is a standard
Windows file browser offering all the
functionality of windows explorer.
In Unix or Linux, similar functionality is also
available.

The Project file will contains information about project settings, the working folder and file associations.
Once the geometry, mesh, boundary conditions, parameter files etc. are saved with the project file,
simply loading the project file will also load these associated files.
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Import Geometry

Workshop

Open The Geometry:

File -> Geometry -> Open Geometry Or use
the Open Geometry ICON
Select: Bar.tin using File Browser
Display: Surfaces by left mouse click on icon

Display Tree

Display: Solid & Wire mode by right mouse

click on Surfaces in Display Tree
Display: Transparent mode by right mouse
click on Surfaces in Display Tree

Bent Bar

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Build Topology

Workshop
#1

BUILD TOPOLOGY:

#3

#4

#2

Geometry -> Repair Geometry -> Build Diagnostic Topology

Default: Tolerance is auto-calculated as 0.06

Default: New Part Name is set to Inherited

Accept all defaults and press Apply

Observe: Because the New Part Name is set to Inherited Curves & Points will be
in the Part of the associated surfaces

Turn Off: Surface display using the display tree or Wire frame Icon

Tips:
set a reasonable tolerance
based on model size
By default, tolerance is set to
1/1000th the size of the model
bounding box diagonal,
rounded

#5

Use Part by part option if you

are working with an assembly

Note: Yellow lines would

indicate (single edges) a
hole.

#6

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Subdivide Surface

Workshop

For the auto blocking method to work,

surfaces should have 4 sides, the long
cylinder only has 3 sides and 360
degrees of curvature. It must be
broken up.

#1

#2

Adjust Display:

Turn on Points

Adjust surface display to Solid Wire

Create ISO-parametric Curves:

#3

Geometry -> Create Curves -> Surface Parameter

Select: the long cylindrical Surface

Set: Isocurve Methods to Point on Edge

Select these 4 points

Press Apply

Selected
Surface

#4

#5
#6
#7

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Subdivide Surface

Workshop

The curves appear along the cylinder

surface. We can use the build
diagnostic topology to cut this surface
with these curves

#1

#2

Create ISO-parametric Curves:

Geometry -> Repair Geometry -> Build Diagnostic Topology

Accept all Defaults

Press Apply

The curves change color from green

(Unattached) to Red (double edges) to
show that they have Cut in.

#3

#7

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Set Mesh Sizes

Workshop

#1

Assign Element Size:

Use the new Mesh

Parameters option to:

Mesh -> Set Mesh

Params by Parts

Adjust the Size and

Height of the BAR part to
1

press Apply.

Hexa Sizes to view

#2

#3

#4

#5

RMB on
Surfaces

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Hexa icons indicate mesh

sizes set on each surface

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Auto Surface Blocking

Workshop
#1

#2

Auto Blocking:

#3

#4

#5
#6

From the Blocking Tab, Click on the Create

Block icon

Select 2D as the Initialize Block Type

This will create a 2D blocking structure for each

surface

These 2D Blocks will all be connected

The Default Method is All Mapped, unstructured

blocks are also available.

Select all surfaces with the a hotkey

Accept Defaults and Apply

Blocking is created
#9

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Blocks are created and a Blocking branch is added to

the model tree.

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Update Sizes and Pre-mesh

Workshop
#1

#2

Pre-mesh Param:

#3

#4

Blocking => Pre-mesh Params

Accept Defaults and Apply

This will update the blocking parameters with the parameters

applied to the surface mesh parameters.
Display Pre-Mesh
Left Click on Pre-Mesh under the blocking branch of the
model tree to display the Pre-mesh

#5

Right click on Pre-Mesh to display as Solid

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Hex Dominant Meshing

Workshop

Pre-mesh does not contain separate element information and can only exist
along with blocking. Pre-mesh can be converted to Unstructured mesh.
Convert to Unstructured Mesh:

Right Click on Pre-Mesh under the blocking branch of the model

tree

Select Convert to Unstructured Mesh

Nodes and Elements are created. A Mesh branch will appear in the model
tree.
#1

#2

Using this Quad Dominant or

pure Quad Mesh, you can
use the Hex Dominant
Mesher
For more complicated or merely Hex
Dominant models, this may be the best
solution, but for this model, better hex
mesh is available from the Blocking tab!
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Blocking 2D to 3D fill

Workshop
#1

#2

2D to 3D Fill:

#3

Blocking => Create Block => 2D to 3D

Accept Default Part Solid and method Fill

Apply

This runs the hex dominant mesher on the blocks and results in 3D blocking.
#4

Generate Pre-mesh to view the mesh

#5

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Ogrid

Workshop

The Pure Hex Mesh is higher quality than the hex dominant mesh, except at the corners.
Here the Hexa elements are opened out to almost 180 degrees and quality is poor.
However, since we have access to the blocking topology, we can add an OGRID!
O-grid
Topology

No O-grid

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O-grid

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Ogrid

Workshop
#1

#2

O-Grid Creation:
#3

Blocking => Split Block => Ogrid Block

Use the Block(s) Picker to select all the Blocks

Use the Face(s) Picker to select appropriate faces

Generally; the flat surfaces that the Ogrid should

pass through.

Specifically; The 5 faces highlighted below

and the corresponding faces on the
other end.

#4
#5

Use the v hotkey to select all the visible blocks

Apply

Update Sizes:

#6

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Blocking => Premesh

Params => Update sizes

Update All To ensure

entity parameters
are set for the
new edges

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Final Mesh

Workshop
#1

The O-grid block topology is automatically

created.
Mesh is now aligned with the walls and the
element quality is greatly improved.
Other changes can also be made to the
blocking file

Edge Mesh Parameters

Vertex locations

Etc.

2004 ANSYS, Inc.

#2

The Pre-mesh and Mesh can be further improved with the

Pre-Mesh smoother and hexahedral mesh smoother
respectively.

ICEM CFD 5.1 New Features

October 1, 2004
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