ANSYS Meshing Application Introduction: Common Mesh Controls

Chapter 4
Common Mesh
Controls
ANSYS Meshing
Application Introduction
ANSYS, Inc. Proprietary April 28, 2009

© 2009 ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved. 4-1 Inventory #002645
Common Mesh Controls
Overview Training Manual
• Meshing Procedure
• Physics Based Settings
• Global Mesh Controls
– Relevance and Relevance Center
– Element Size
– Initial Size Seed
– Smoothing and Transition
– Span Angle Center
– Advanced Sizing Function
• Local Mesh Controls
– Edge, Face, and Body Sizings
– Sphere and Body of Influence
– Contact Sizing
– Mapped Face Meshing
– Match Control
– Refinement
– Pinch Controls
• Inflation
• Workshop 4.1 Global and Local Mesh Controls
• Workshop 4.2 Mapped Face Meshing for a Swept Mesh
Meshing Procedure Training Manual
1. Set target physics (structural, CFD, etc.). This will be automatically set
if you generate the mesh as part of a physics based system (i.e.
FLUENT, CFX, or Mechanical)
2. Set meshing methods
3. Specify mesh settings (sizings, controls, inflation, etc.)
4. Create named selections for convenience
5. Preview mesh and adjust settings if necessary
6. Generate mesh
7. Check mesh quality
8. Prepare mesh for analysis

Physics Based Settings Training Manual
• Different types of analyses have different meshing requirements

– Structural – coarser mesh with higher order elements
– CFD – finer, smoothly varying mesh, boundary layer resolution
• Different CFD solvers have different requirements as well
– Explicit Dynamics – uniformly size mesh desired
• Possible to set common defaults by setting the Physics Preference

Physics Sets the following automatically ...
Preference Solid Element Relevance smoothing transition
Option Midside Nodes Center
Default Default
Mechanical Kept Coarse Medium Fast
CFD Dropped Coarse Medium Slow

Electromagnetic Kept Medium Medium Fast
Explicit Dropped Coarse High Slow

Physics Based Settings Training Manual
• Mechanical • CFD

Mesh for Default Mechanical Settings Training Manual

Mesh for Default CFD Settings Training Manual
Acts on Edges
and Faces
Acts on
Volume
Acts on
All

No Advanced Size Function Training Manual
Acts on Edges

Span Center Coarse Training Manual

Fast Transition Training Manual

Effect of Keeping Midside Nodes Training Manual

Effect of Shape Checking Training Manual
• Mesh node and element count identical to default Mechanical Mesh

Mesh Quality Training Manual
• Mechanical Settings • CFD Settings

Mesh Sizing Strategy; Mechanical Training Manual
• Seek efficient approach to resolve critical features with

minimal input from user
• Define or accept defaults for a few global mesh sizing settings
• Make global adjustments with Relevance and Relevance Center
• As needed, define sizing for bodies, faces, edges, sphere of

influence to exert more control over how sizes are set as the
mesh is generated

Mesh Sizing Strategy: CFD Training Manual
• Rely on Advanced Size Functions to refine the mesh where

required
– Curvature (default on)
– Proximity
• Identify the smallest feature in the model

– Set the min-size such that this feature is sufficiently resolved
– If that will lead to an over-refined mesh
• Scope a Hard size on this feature below min size
– Use pinch control to remove small edges and faces
• Ensure that the pinch tolerance is always smaller than the local min size
• As needed, define soft sizing's using bodies, faces, edges or body of

influence to exert more control over how sizes are set as the
mesh is generated

Relevance and Relevance Center Training Manual
• A slider bar to refine or coarsen the mesh
Coarse Medium Fine
-100 -100 Relevance

-100
0 0
0
100 100
100

Global Element Size Training Manual
• Element Size sets the element size used

for the entire model. This size will be
used for all edge, face, and body
meshing. This option does not appear
when the Advanced Size function is used
– Default value based on Relevance
and Initial Size Seed
– Desired value can be entered

Initial Size Seed Training Manual
• Initial Size Seed

– Controls the initial mesh seeding for each part.
– This is ignored if an element size is specified
– Active Assembly: bases the initial seeding on
the diagonal of the bounding box that encloses
only parts that are unsuppressed.
The mesh could change as parts are
suppressed and unsuppressed
– Full Assembly: bases the initial seeding on the
diagonal of the bounding box that encloses all
assembly parts regardless of the number of
suppressed parts. As a result, the mesh never
changes due to part suppression
– Part: bases the initial seeding on the diagonal
of the bounding box that encloses each
particular individual part as it is meshed. The
mesh never changes due to part suppression.

Smoothing and Transition Training Manual
• Smoothing (Advanced Size Function is off)

– Mesh Smoothing attempts to improve element
quality by moving locations of nodes with
respect to surrounding nodes and elements.
The following options control the number of
smoothing iterations along with the threshold
metric where the mesher will start smoothing.
• Medium (Mechanical)
• Medium (CFD, Emag)
• High (Explicit )
• Transition (Advanced Size Function is off)
– Transition controls the rate at which adjacent
elements will grow
• Slow (CFD, Explicit) produces a smooth
transition
• Fast (Mechanical, Emag) produces a more
abrupt transition

Span Center Angle Training Manual
• Span Angle Center sets the goal for

curvature based refinement for edges.
The mesh will subdivide in curved
regions until the individual elements span
this angle. The following choices are
available:
– Coarse – 91° to 60°
– Medium – 75° to 24°
– Fine – 36° to 12°
– Only used if Advanced Size Function is off

Span Angle Center Training Manual
45°
12°

Advanced Size Function Training Manual
• Without the advanced size function, edges

are meshed according to the specified
element size, refined for curvature and
proximity, adjusted for defeaturing or pinch
controls, and then passed to the face and
volume meshers
• Standard Size Function • Advanced Size Function

• Options and defaults:

– Proximity & Curvature
– Curvature (default)
• Default 18 degrees
– Proximity
• Default 3 cells per Gap (2D and 3D)
• Default accuracy; 0.5
– Increase to 1 if proximity is not honored

• With curvature
• With curvature and proximity (5 cells in gap)

Advanced Size Function: Curvature Training Manual

Advanced Size Function: Fixed Training Manual
• Local mesh sizes must be set

via mesh controls as no
localized refinement due to
curvature or proximity will
occur
• Gradation between the sizes

will occur according to the
specified growth rate

Local Mesh Controls Training Manual
• Below is the list of local controls available (availability depends on

the mesh method used)
– Sizing
– Contact Sizing
– Refinement
– Mapped Face Meshing
– Match Control
– Pinch
– Inflation

Local Sizing Training Manual
• Local Sizing:
– “Element Size” specifies average element edge
length on bodies, faces, edges, or vertices
– “Number of Divisions” specifies number of
elements on edge(s)
– “Sphere of Influence” elements within the
sphere have a given average element size
– Available options above depend on which
entities are scoped:
– Options will be different if Advanced Size
Function is used
Entity Elem ent Size # of Elem. Division Sphere of Influence

Bodies x x
Faces x x
Edges x x x
Vertices x
Face Sizing Training Manual
• Local Sizing:
– “Element Size” specifies average element
edge length on face(s)
– “ “Sphere of Influence” elements within the
sphere have a given average element size
– For anything other than a vertex, a sphere
of influence requires that a Coordinate
Syetem be defined

Face Sizing – Element Size Training Manual

Sphere Of Influence – Coordinate System Training Manual

Face Sizing – Sphere of Influence Training Manual

Face Sizing: Effect of Scope Training Manual
• Face Sizing (sphere of Scoped to single surface

influence)
“Sphere of Influence” face
sizing (shown in red) has
been defined. Elements
lying in that sphere for that
scoped entity will have a
given average element size.
A general Sphere of
Influence (Point Sizing)
would control the mesh on
all faces that it touched
Scoped to 3 surfaces
• Multiple entities could

be selected
• All scoped entities within
sphere are affected by
size settings

Face Sizing with Advanced Size Function Training Manual

Scoped Sizes with Size Function Training Manual
• On meshed entity
– Edge, Face, Body
• Hard
– Size is Constant
– Biasing (edge)
– This can be used to
assign a size
smaller than the min
size
• Soft
– Size is Max
– Local Curvature
angle
– Local Growth
rate (value has to be
smaller than Global)

Edge Sizing Training Manual
• Edge Sizing (bias)

– An edge may be discretized with a
bias towards one end, both ends, or the
center
– Consider:
• A swept mesh is used with
the source face as shown
• Edge sizings are specified for
the two pairs of edges on the
source face.
• The edge sizings are biased
so as to give a finer mesh
near the edges

Vertex Sizing Training Manual
• Vertex Sizing
– Sizing can also be defined for Vertices
– A Vertex Sizing is a Sphere of Influence where the

center of the sphere is defined by a model vertex. The
sizing will be defined for all entities over the entire
sphere

Body of Influence with Size Function Training Manual
• Body of Influence
– Body of influence (BOI) is only
active when the Advanced Size
Function is on
– The BOI can be any CAD Line,
Face or Solid Body
– The BOI is not meshed, it just
acts as a source of constant size
– To implement:
• Pick Geometry
• Pick Bodies of Influence
• Assign parameters
– Element size
– Local growth rate

Contact Sizing Training Manual
• Contact Sizing
– provides a way of generating
similar-sized elements on
contact faces between parts
(meshes will be of similar size
but will not be conformal)
– An “Element Size” or
“Relevance” can be specified for
a given contact region
In this example, the contact

region between the two parts
has a Contact Sizing specified
(by Element Size). Note that
the mesh is now consistent at
the contact region.

Refinement Training Manual
• Refinement
– Element refinement divides existing mesh
– Valid for faces, edges, and vertices
– Not available for Patch Independent Tetrahedrons or CFX-Mesh
– An ‘initial’ mesh is created with global and local size controls first, then
element refinement is performed at the specified location(s).
– Refinement level can vary from
1 (minimal) to 3 (maximum).
– A refinement level of “1” breaks up the edges
of the elements in the ‘initial’ mesh in half.
– Not recommended for CFD as cannot be used
with inflation
For example shown, the left side has

refinement level of 1 whereas the right
side is left untouched with default
mesh settings.

Mapped Face Meshing Training Manual
• Mapped Face Meshing

– allows for the generation of structured meshes on surfaces:
– In example below, mapped face meshing on the internal
cylindrical face provides a more uniform mesh pattern.
– If surface cannot be mapped mesh for any reason, meshing will

continue and this will be shown in Outline Tree with the icon

• Mapped Face Meshing

– If the face selected for a Mapped Face
Meshing is defined by two loops, then the
Radial Number of Divisions field is
activated. This specifies the number of
divisions across the annular region when
sweeping.
– This is useful for putting in a number of
layers across a thin annulus

Match Control Training Manual
• Match Control
– Matches mesh pattern on periodic faces to facilitate cyclic
symmetry analyses typical of rotating machinery
Cut Boundaries
Matched Faces
Full Model Cyclic Symmetry Model

Creating a Match Control Training Manual
• Match Control (Procedure):

– Insert “Match Face Meshing” control under Mesh branch
– Identify faces of symmetry boundary
– Identify the coordinate system (Z axis is rotation axis)
Rotation CS

Match Control and Advanced Size Function Training Manual
– Scoped Advanced Size function information is also matched

• Scoped Size can be added on either side with identical results
– Periodic Matching only needs one coordinate system
– Periodic matching can handle common edges, multiple faces and

inflation layers

Pinch Controls Training Manual
• When pinch controls are defined,

defeaturing occurs when the
mesh is generated.
• The Pinch feature works on

vertices and edges only; faces
and bodies cannot be pinched.
• The Pinch feature is supported for

the following mesh methods:
– Patch Conforming Tetrahedrons

– Thin Solid Sweeps
– Hex Dominant meshing
– Quad Dominant Surface Meshing
– All Triangles Surface meshing

Automatic Pinch Control Training Manual

Automatic Pinch Generation Training Manual
• With automatic pinch generation user can pinch features under a

defined size to remove features leading to bad quality elements
• Note that the pinch tolerance should be smaller than the local min size
• Can be used in CFD for

removals of
– Slivers
– Short edges
– Sharp angles
Inflation Options Training Manual
• Use Automatic Inflation

– Program Controlled
• All faces not part of Named selections
• No internal faces between shared bodies
• Inflation options
– Smooth Transition (default for 2D and Tet
meshing
– First Layer Thickness
– Total Thickness (Default for others)
• Inflation Algorithm
– Pre (TGrid)
• for Tri/Patch conforming Tet/Sweep
– Post (ICEM CFD)
• for Patch non-conforming Tetra
• Collision Avoidance
– Compression (default for Fluent)
– Stair-Step (default for CFX)
• Additional detail on settings in Chapter 5
Inflation for Tetrahedrons and MultiZone Training Manual
• Inflation
– When the Mesh Method is set to Tetrahedrons or MultiZone,
inflation layers are scoped to a body or bodies by selecting the
faces from which inflation is desired

Inflation for Swept Mesh Training Manual
• For a swept mesh, inflation is applied

by selecting the edges from which
inflation is desired on the source face
• The Src/Trg Selection on the
should therefore be set to

either Manual Source or
Manual Source and Target
Generating a Mesh Training Manual
• Generate Mesh
– Generates the entire volume mesh
• Preview Surface Mesh
– For most methods (but not the Tetrahedral Patch Independent method),
this option is significantly faster. As such, it is often useful to preview the
surface mesh first.
– If Generate Mesh fails because element quality parameters could not be
met, Preview Surface Mesh is useful
• It allows you to see the surface mesh, so you can see where it need improving

Section Planes Training Manual
• In the Meshing Application, section planes can display internal mesh

• Find the “New section plane” button on toolbar
• Can display
– Elements either side of plane
– Cut or whole elements
– Elements on the plane
• Multiple planes can be used

• Exterior mesh

• Create section plane, display one side

• Switch side of section plane displayed

• Display whole elements

Named Selections Training Manual
• Named Selections allow users to group together vertices,

edges, surfaces, or bodies together
– Named Selections can be used for defining mesh controls,
applying loads and supports in a structural analysis,etc.
– Named selections will appear as named regions when the
mesh is imported into CFX-Pre or Fluent
– Provides an easy method to reselect groups that will be referenced
often when defining contact regions, boundary
conditions, etc.
– Can be used to facilitate program
controlled inflation
• Note:
– Only one type of entity can be in a
particular Named Selection. For example,
vertices and edges cannot exist in the
same Named Selection.
– Named Selection groups can be imported
from DesignModeler and from some CAD
systems

Named Selections Training Manual
• The visibility of Named Selections can be toggled on and off to either hide
or display geometry or mesh

Workshop 4.1
Effect of Global and Local
Controls on Mesh Size and
Quality

Goals Training Manual
• This workshop will illustrate the use and

effect of global and local mesh sizing controls
including use of the Curvature and Proximity
features in the Advanced Size function
• The geometry has both thin-walled regions

and regions of high local curvature

Specifying Geometry Training Manual
1. Copy the tee.agdb file from the

files folder to your working directory
2. Start Workbench and double-click
the Mesh entry in the Component
Systems panel at the right
3. Right-click on Geometry in the Mesh
entry in the Project Schematic and
select Import Geometry/Browse
4. Browse to the tee.agdb file you
copied and click Open
5. Note that the Geometry entry in the
Project Schematic now has a green
check mark indicating that geometry
has been specified

Meshing Options Training Manual
7. Right-click on Mesh and click Edit to

open the Ansys Meshing
8. On the Meshing Options Panel at the right,
set the Physics Preference to Mechanical
and the Mesh Method to Patch Conforming
Tetrahedrons and click OK.
9. Look in the Mesh Outline and verify that the
Patch Conforming Method has been
assigned to the single body in the geometry

Default Mechanical Mesh Training Manual
10. Left click on Mesh expand the Sizing and

Statistics Entries. Select Skewness as the
Mesh Metric. Right click on Mesh and
Generate the Mesh. Note the coarseness
of the mesh and the statistics.

CFD Mesh Training Manual
11. Change the Physics Preference to CFD

and the Solver Preference to Fluent.
Verify that the Advanced Size Option is
set to Curvature
12. Right-click on Mesh and generate the
mesh. Notice the much finer mesh and
the improvement in the mesh metric.

Section Plane Training Manual
13. Orient the Model view so that it is edge on as

shown. Click on the new section plane icon
14. Draw a section plane that splits the model
down the middle. Orient the view so that it is
parallel to the axis of the tee. Click on the
Show Whole Elements icon. Note that there
is only one element through the thickness of
the thin regions

Adding Proximity Sensing Training Manual
15. Click in the Use Advanced Size Function and change

the setting to On: Proximity and Curvature. This will
add proximity sensing to the meshing algorithm.
16. Leave the view as is with the Section Plane active.
Generate the mesh again (this will take some time).
Note that there are now multiple elements across the
thickness and the large increase in mesh count.

Increasing the Minimum Size Training Manual
17. Click in the Minimum Size box in the Mesh Settings

and enter 0.005 for the Min Size.
18. Regenerate the mesh Note that there are still
multiple elements across the thickness but the mesh
count is considerable smaller.

Using a Face Sizing Training Manual
19. Set the Advanced Size Function back to

Curvature and toggle off the section plane
20. Right-click on the mesh entry in the
Outline and insert a Sizing. Pick the
outer cylindrical face as shown and click
Apply.

21. Set the element size to 0.005 [m]. Regenerate the

mesh. Notice that the mesh on the selected face is
finer than the mesh on adjacent faces.

22. Toggle the Section Plane back on and orient the view so that it is parallel to the
axis of the tee. Note that there are only multiple elements through the thin sections
where the face sizing is active

Coodinate System for Sphere of Influence Training Manual
23. Right click on Coordinate Systems and insert a

Coordinate System. Set the Define By option to Global
Coordinates and enter [0 [m], 0.1 [m], and 0.08 [m])
as the Origin X, Y, and Z. With the Section Plane toggled
off, the coordinate system should appear as shown
below.

Body Sizing (Sphere of Influence) Training Manual
24. Suppress the Face Sizing via a right-click.

25. Right click on Mesh and insert a Sizing. Pick the Body
and set the Type to Sphere of Influence. Click in the
Sphere Center entry box and select the Coordinate
system you created.

Body Sizing Training Manual
26. Set the Sphere Radius to 0.01 [m] and the Element Size
to 0.005 [m]. The model display will update to preview
the extent of the Sphere of Influence.

27. Regenerate the mesh with the Section Plane toggled off.
Note the limited extent of the Sphere of Influence.

28. Toggle the Section Plane back on and rotate the view so that it is parallel to the
axis. Note there are only multiple elements through the thin regions near the
Sphere of Influence.

Workshop 4.2
Mapped Face Meshing
and Edge Sizings for a
Swept Mesh for a Thin Annulus

Goals Training Manual
• This workshop will illustrate the use and effect

of a Mapped Face Meshing control for a Swept
Mesh to enforce a radial number of divisions
across the width of a thin annulus
• An Edge Sizing is also set for edges on the

Source and Target faces to help generate a
high quality mesh

Specifying Geometry Training Manual
1. Copy the elbow.agdb file from the

files folder to your working directory
2. Start Workbench and double-click the
Mesh entry in the Component
Systems panel on the left
3. Right-click on Geometry in the Mesh
entry in the Project Schematic and
select Import Geometry/Browse
4. Browse to the elbow.agdb file you
copied and click Open
5. Note that the Geometry entry in the
Project Schematic now has a green
check mark indicating that geometry
has been specified

Insert Sweep Mesh Training Manual
7. Close the Meshing

Options Panel at the
right without setting
anything.
8. Right-click on Mesh and
insert a Method. Select
the body and set the
method to Sweep.
9. Set the Src/Trg selection
to Manual Source and
select the face shown as
the Source.

Initial Mesh Training Manual
10. In the Mesh settings, set

the Physics to CFD and
the Solver Preference to
Fluent. Expand the
Sizing and Statistics
entries
11. Set the Mesh Metric to
Skewness and generate
the mesh
12. Note that there is only
one element across
most of the annular
thickness and the
skewness is relatively
high

13. Since the source face has an

inner and outer loop, adding a
mapped Face Meshing will
allow you to specify the radial
number of divisions
14. Right-click on Mesh and insert
a Mapped Face Meshing.
Pick the source face for the
sweep and set the Radial
Number of Divisions to 3.

Effect of Mapped Face Meshing Training Manual
15. Generate the mesh. Note that

there are now 3 elements
across the thickness of the
annulus but there is some
twist to the mesh as it sweeps
from the source to the target.
The skewness is also still
rather high for such a simple
geometry.
16. Right click on Mesh and Insert
a Sizing. You will define a
consistent edge sizing for the
4 edges on the source and
target faces to help improve
the quality

Edge Sizing Training Manual
17. Pick the four edges which

bound the source and target
faces and apply the election to
the Geometry entry box
18. Set the Type to Number of
Divisions and set the number
to 20. The Model Display
should update to reflect the
settings

Final Mesh Training Manual
17. Regenerate the mesh. Note the improvement in the mesh quality metrics.


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Chapter 4

ANSYS, Inc. Proprietary April 28, 2009

Overview Training Manual

Meshing Procedure Training Manual

ANSYS, Inc. Proprietary April 28, 2009

Physics Based Settings Training Manual

• Different types of analyses have different meshing requirements

• Possible to set common defaults by setting the Physics Preference

CFD Dropped Coarse Medium Slow

Explicit Dropped Coarse High Slow

Physics Based Settings Training Manual

ANSYS, Inc. Proprietary April 28, 2009

Mesh for Default Mechanical Settings Training Manual

ANSYS, Inc. Proprietary April 28, 2009

Mesh for Default CFD Settings Training Manual

ANSYS, Inc. Proprietary April 28, 2009

No Advanced Size Function Training Manual

ANSYS, Inc. Proprietary April 28, 2009

Span Center Coarse Training Manual

ANSYS, Inc. Proprietary April 28, 2009

Fast Transition Training Manual

ANSYS, Inc. Proprietary April 28, 2009

Effect of Keeping Midside Nodes Training Manual

ANSYS, Inc. Proprietary April 28, 2009

Effect of Shape Checking Training Manual

• Mesh node and element count identical to default Mechanical Mesh

Mesh Quality Training Manual

• Mechanical Settings • CFD Settings

ANSYS, Inc. Proprietary April 28, 2009

Mesh Sizing Strategy; Mechanical Training Manual

• Seek efficient approach to resolve critical features with

• Define or accept defaults for a few global mesh sizing settings

• Make global adjustments with Relevance and Relevance Center

• As needed, define sizing for bodies, faces, edges, sphere of

ANSYS, Inc. Proprietary April 28, 2009

Mesh Sizing Strategy: CFD Training Manual

• Rely on Advanced Size Functions to refine the mesh where

• Identify the smallest feature in the model

• As needed, define soft sizing's using bodies, faces, edges or body of

ANSYS, Inc. Proprietary April 28, 2009

Relevance and Relevance Center Training Manual

• A slider bar to refine or coarsen the mesh

Coarse Medium Fine

-100 -100 Relevance

ANSYS, Inc. Proprietary April 28, 2009

Global Element Size Training Manual

• Element Size sets the element size used

ANSYS, Inc. Proprietary April 28, 2009

Initial Size Seed Training Manual

• Initial Size Seed

ANSYS, Inc. Proprietary April 28, 2009

Smoothing and Transition Training Manual

• Smoothing (Advanced Size Function is off)

ANSYS, Inc. Proprietary April 28, 2009

Span Center Angle Training Manual

• Span Angle Center sets the goal for

– Only used if Advanced Size Function is off

ANSYS, Inc. Proprietary April 28, 2009

Span Angle Center Training Manual

ANSYS, Inc. Proprietary April 28, 2009

Advanced Size Function Training Manual

• Without the advanced size function, edges

ANSYS, Inc. Proprietary April 28, 2009