Integrated Meshing in STAR-CCM+ Aly Khawaja Overview The STAR-CCM+ - - PDF document

Integrated Meshing in STAR-CCM+ Aly Khawaja

Overview

• The STAR-CCM+ meshing

suite – a pipelined process suite a pipelined process

• Conformal meshing – a

strength

• Specialized meshers for

specialized applications On the horizon

• On the horizon
• Putting it all together

Integrated/automated process from Integrated/automated process from geometry geometry to post-processing to post-processing

The STAR-CCM+ meshing suite

• Surface meshing options

– Surface wrapper

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– Surface remesher – Interactive tools

Volume meshing options

• Volume meshing options

– Tetrahedral mesher – Polyhedral mesher – Trimmed mesher – Boundary layer mesher – Specialized meshers

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• User creates a meshing pipeline

Surf Surface preparation is ace preparation is the he k i k i key to ey to process automat process automation

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Surface preparation – the key to automation

• At the forefront in automating CAD to surface process

Data import and organization

• Data import and organization

– Working upstream to import data directly from your CAD/PLM

system

– Retain assembly hierarchy, meta-data – Provide efficient ways to tag, filter data

Import edit create and preserve CAD geometry

• Import, edit, create and preserve CAD geometry
• Automatic meshers – surface wrapper, surface remesher
• Interactive tools – boolean inflation imprinting etc
• Interactive tools

boolean, inflation, imprinting, etc.

• Manual repair

State-of-the-art manual repair mode

• Dynamically updated diagnostics panel
• Ability to browse problem areas

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• Atomic operations (swap/split/collapse

edges, etc.)

• Mid-level operations (smooth fill holes
• Mid level operations (smooth, fill holes,

inflate, imprint, etc.)

• Repair feature edge errors

Undo/redo capability

• Undo/redo capability
• Elaborate selection/display controllers
• Continually enhanced based on user

f db k feedback Intuitive, concise, functional Intuitive, concise, functional

STAR-CCM+ Meshing pipeline example

Automation without sacrificing mesh control…

• Size per boundary
• Size per feature curve
• Size per feature curve
• Curvature control
• Proximity control
• Volume source
• Prism mesh control

Initial wall thickness

– Initial wall thickness – Stretching – Total prism thickness

N b f l

– Number of layers

• Same sizing information can be used across all meshers
• Ease of use has been a focus

Ease of use has been a focus

Conformal meshing – a strength

• Has been a strong point of STAR-CCM+ for several years

Create connected meshes with a one to one matching

• Create connected meshes with a one-to-one matching

between regions/domains – leads to higher solution accuracy

• Accept variety of input data

– Data comes in prepped (connected parts, shared surfaces) –

use split-by-topology use split-by-topology

– Disconnected parts – automatic interfacing via close part

browser, imprinting

• Taking it a step further – conformal periodic meshing

Highly complex geometry – prepped CAD data

Automatic interfacing of disconnected parts

Automatic interfacing of disconnected parts

Close part Close part browser browser Im Imprint one/all rint one/all p

Automatic interfacing of disconnected parts

• Allows convenient

close part browsing close part browsing through complex hierarchy

• Automatically imprints

touching components and creates interfaces

• Potential to pipeline –
• ne click operation

f di t d from disconnected parts to conformal volume mesh

Automatic interfacing application

Automatic interfacing application

Conformal periodic meshes

Volume control – Volume control –Finer surface iner surface Subsurface proximity Subsurface proximity based retraction based retraction Face mismatches cause solution inaccuracies Face mismatches cause solution inaccuracies Conformal mesh with Conformal mesh with no no additional user specification additional user specification

Specialized meshers for specialized applications

• Already have fully functional general purpose meshers

Specialized geometries need customized meshes for

• Specialized geometries need customized meshes for

– Optimal cell count – Cell quality

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– Solution accuracy

• Pushing the envelope for seamless integration of these

h i t th STAR CCM+ hi it meshers into the STAR-CCM+ meshing suite

Specialized meshers – 2.5D Extrusion

Specialized meshers – generalized cylinders

Detects cylindrical Detects cylindrical boundaries boundaries and and produces swept produces swept meshes meshes

Specialized meshers – Thin Mesher

• Automatic detection
• High quality orthogonal cells in

thin regions

• General polyhedra elsewhere
• General polyhedra elsewhere

On the horizon…

SolidWorks assembly with SolidWorks assembly with

• Parallel meshing

Distributed meshing using client server architecture

y multi-level hierarchy y multi-level hierarchy

– Distributed meshing using client-server architecture

• Conformal meshing in conjunction with thin mesher

– Conformal conjugate heat transfer analysis

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• 3D-CAD solid modeler

– Create and edit geometry from within STAR-CCM+

• Intuitive, efficient, parts based meshing

– Preserving hierarchy, structure from within your PLM system

And much more

Assembly structure and all part names Assembly structure and all part names Assembly structure and all part names Assembly structure and all part names

• And much more…

part names preserved part names preserved part names preserved part names preserved

Putting it all together

A multi-pronged development philosophy… A multi-pronged development philosophy…

• Continue to enhance existing main-stream meshers/tools

for ease of use automation and accuracy for ease of use, automation and accuracy

• Particular emphasis on your biggest bottle-necks of data-

import, organization and surface preparation p g p p

• Forward thinking ideas and introduction of new meshers for
• ptimal cell count/placement

… to provide a state-of-the-art … to provide a state-of-the-art CAE tool CAE tool

Putting it all together

• Import data from CAD/PLM system, retaining

part/assembly hierarchy, meta-data, etc. p y y, ,

• Edit, create geometry, intuitive surface preparation tools
• Automatic, conformal meshing using application-specific

mesh types mesh types

• Complete control on distribution
• Flow/thermal/stress, multi-physics simulations

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• Parallel environment from start to finish
• STAR-CCM+: a black-box simulation tool

i th d i i t in the design environment

• Rapid turnaround for design

modifications modifications