Grid-based hexahedral element meshing algorithms for solid models with concave curved boundary lines

This paper presented a grid-based hexahedral element mesh generation algorithm for solid models with concave curved boundary lines. A deep study was focused on the boundary matching and quality improvement techniques. Firstly, a method for computing the curvature values of the triangle facets and sub-surfaces was proposed. In order to improve the surface mesh quality, a layer of new elements was inserted on the surface of the jagged core mesh. Then, a relative position relationship method was used to match C-edges of the solid model. Eight different types of free quadrilateral facet configurations were established. In order to handle the concave curve-matching problem, this paper proposed a method to modify the matching properties of the degenerate quadrilateral facets fitted on the same concave curved boundary line by unifying their orientations to point to the same sub-surface. In addition, six mixed templates were newly proposed to improve the geometrical topology of the degenerate elements associated with concave curves and sharp features. The positions of the nodes were smoothed by the modified Laplacian method and objective function. Finally, the effectiveness and reliability of the algorithms proposed in this paper were demonstrated by a practical example.     

Adaptive hexahedral mesh generation and quality optimization for solid models with thin features using a grid-based method

This paper presented an automatic inside-out grid-based hexahedral element mesh generation algorithm for various types of solid models. For the thin features with small thickness of the geometric model, corresponding treatment methods were given for successfully implementing each meshing step, containing the techniques for adaptive refinement, boundary match, topological optimization and local refinement. In order to realize the reasonable identification of refinement regions and resolve the expansion problem of refinement information fields, a thin-feature criterion and a supplementary criterion were proposed aiming at thin features of the geometry. To implement accurate boundary match for thin features, ten basic types and five complementary types of facet configurations were established, and a priority-node identification method was proposed additionally. Three topological optimization modes were newly proposed to improve the topological connections of the boundary mesh in thin features. Local refinement techniques were also built to refine the thin features of solid models. Finally, several examples were provided to demonstrate the effectiveness and reliability of the proposed algorithms.     

All-hexahedral mesh generation via inside-out advancing front based on harmonic fields

The generation of hexahedral meshes is an open problem that has undergone significant research. This paper deals with a novel inside-out advancing front method to generate unstructured all-hexahedral meshes for given volumes. Two orthogonal harmonic fields, principal and radial harmonic fields, are generated to guide the inside-out advancing front process based on a few user interactions. Starting from an initial hexahedral mesh inside the given volume, we advance the boundary quadrilateral mesh along the streamlines of radial field and construct layers of hexahedral elements. To ensure high quality and uniform size of the hexahedral mesh, quadrilateral elements are decomposed in such a way that no non-hexahedral element is produced. For complex volume with branch structures, we segment the complex volume into simple sub-volumes that are suitable for our method. Experimental results show that our method generates high quality all-hexahedral meshes for the given volumes.     

Automatic hexahedral mesh generation for multi-domain composite models using a hybrid projective grid-based method

This paper presents an algorithm to generate an all-hexahedral mesh of a multi-domain solid model using a hybrid grid-based approach. This is based on a projective concept during the boundary adaptation of the initial mesh. In general, the algorithm involves the generation of a grid structure, which is superimposed on the solid model. This grid structure forms an initial mesh consisting of hexahedral elements, which intersect fully or partially with the solid model. This initial mesh is then shrunk in an outside-in manner to the faces of the model through a node projection process using the closest position approach. To match the resulting mesh to the edges of the model, a minimal deformation angle method is used. Finally, to match the vertices with the nodes on the mesh, a minimal warp angle method is employed. To create the mesh of a multi-domain solid model, an outside-in and inside-in hybrid of the grid-based method is used. This hybrid method ensures that the meshes of the different domains are conforming at their common boundary. This paper also describes two methods for resolving cases of degenerate elements: a splitting technique and a wedge insertion technique.     

A strategy of automatic hexahedral mesh generation by using an improved whisker-weaving method with a surface mesh modification procedure

One of the demands for three dimensional (3D) finite element analyses is the development of an automatic hexahedral mesh generator. For this problem, several methods have been proposed by many researchers. However, reliable automatic hexahedral mesh generation has not been developed at present. In this paper, a new strategy of fully automatic hexahedral mesh generation is proposed. In this strategy, the prerequisite for generating a hexahedral mesh is a quadrilateral surface mesh. From the given surface mesh, combinatorial dual cycles (sheet loops for the whisker-weaving algorithm) are generated to produce a hexahedral mesh. Since generating a good quality hexahedral mesh does not depend only on the quality of quadrilaterals of the surface mesh but also on the quality of the sheet loops generated from it, a surface mesh modification method to remove self-intersections from sheet loops is developed. Next, an automatic hexahedral mesh generator by the improved whisker-weaving algorithm is developed in this paper. By creating elements and nodes on 3D real space during the weaving process, it becomes possible to generate a hexahedral mesh with fewer bad-quality elements. Several examples will be presented to show the validity of the proposed mesh generation strategy.     

Automatic hexahedral mesh generation using a new grid-based method with geometry and mesh transformation

A geometry and mesh transformation approach is proposed to overcome the traditional problem of poorly shaped elements at the boundary using the grid-based method of mesh generation. This is achieved by transforming the original geometric model to a topologically similar recognition model which conforms fully to the Cartesian directions. Such a recognition model is constructed by tessellating the original model and then employing a fuzzy logic method to determine the normal directions of the faces. A three-dimensional field morphing algorithm is used to position the features of the recognition model. Such a recognition model is then meshed with hexahedral elements without any degeneracy using the new grid-based algorithm. The mesh of the recognition model is mapped back to the original geometric model by employing a transformation based on the Laplacian-isoparametric equation.     

一种基于逻辑栅格的网格自动生成算法

针对基于栅格法对表面变动较大的模型进行网格划分适应性差的问题,提出一种基于逻辑栅格的六面体网格自动生成算法。该算法对基于栅格法的思想进行改进,避开一次生成模型初始栅格,将模型离散为一系列截面,对相邻截面采用矢量求交方法形成一对截面的初始栅格,修正初始栅格形成两截面之间的一层网格,形成整体模型。采用改进的栅格法进行复杂地形拱坝坝肩块体网格自动生成,取得较好的效果,结果证明改进的栅格法对复杂地形适应性强,模型表面变动较大时能自动进行网格退化。     

用局部阻尼波形法的自连贯网格生成法

介绍将生成或已有的有限元规则六面体单元改变成形状复杂且光滑的六面体单元的一种新技术——波形法．简单建立了波形法的数学模型并编程进行了网格生成．实验结果表明,只要把复杂外部形状按波的形式传输给指定的规则六面体单元模型,就可以得到具有复杂外部形状的六面体单元网格模型,且网格生成速度快、不出现单元或节点漏洞、欠缺等问题,同时不受单元类型的限制。     

Block Cartesian abstraction of a geometric model and its application in hexahedral mesh generation

In this work, a fuzzy logic approach is proposed to transform a geometric model of arbitrary shape to its block Cartesian abstraction. This abstraction is topologically similar to the original model and it contains geometric sub-entities which are all aligned in the Cartesian directions. This is achieved by calculating the modifications made to the face normal vectors as a result of the influences of the adjacent faces. A fuzzy logic inference engine is developed by combining heuristics to emulate the local changes in face normal vectors with respect to the changes in the global space. A three-dimensional field morphing algorithm is used to position the features of this block Cartesian abstraction so that a congruent geometric model can be reconstructed. Such a model is useful for the generation of structured quadrilateral boundary element meshes or structured hexahedral meshes based on grid-based meshing method, mesh mapping or sweeping. This approach is also able to overcome the traditional problem of having poorly shaped elements at the boundary using the grid-based method of mesh generation. As the topology of the block Cartesian abstraction is congruent to the original model, the mesh can be mapped back to the original model by employing an inverse operation of the transformation.     

TUM.GeoFrame: automated high-order hexahedral mesh generation for shell-like structures

This paper presents a fully automated high-order hexahedral mesh generation algorithm for shell-like structures based on enhanced sweeping methods. Traditional sweeping techniques create all-hexahedral element meshes for solid structures by projecting an initial single surface mesh along a specified trajectory to a specified target surface. The work reported here enhances the traditional method for thin solids by creating conforming high-order all-hexahedral finite element meshes on an enhanced surface model with surfaces intersecting in parallel, perpendicular and skew-angled directions. The new algorithm is based on cheap projection rules separating the original surface model into a set of disjoint single surfaces and a so-called interface skeleton. The core of this process is reshaping the boundary representations of the initial surfaces, generating new sweeping templates along the intersection curves and joining the single swept hex meshes in an independently generated interface mesh.     

The receding front method applied to hexahedral mesh generation of exterior domains

Two of the most successful methods to generate unstructured hexahedral meshes are the grid-based methods and the advancing front methods. On the one hand, the grid-based methods generate high-quality hexahedra in the inner part of the domain using an inside–outside approach. On the other hand, advancing front methods generate high-quality hexahedra near the boundary using an outside–inside approach. To combine the advantages of both methodologies, we extend the receding front method: an inside–outside mesh generation approach by means of a reversed advancing front. We apply this approach to generate unstructured hexahedral meshes of exterior domains. To reproduce the shape of the boundaries, we first pre-compute the mesh fronts by combining two solutions of the Eikonal equation on a tetrahedral reference mesh. Then, to generate high-quality elements, we expand the quadrilateral surface mesh of the inner body towards the unmeshed external boundary using the pre-computed fronts as a guide.     

扫掠法有限元网格生成方法

为了提高有限元网格的生成质量,扫掠法生成六面体网格过程中内部节点定位成为关键一步,在研究复杂扫掠体六面体有限元网格生成算法过程中,提出了一种基于扫掠法的六面体网格生成算法,算法利用源曲面已经划分好的网格和连接曲面的结构化网格,用仿射映射逐层投影,生成目标曲面,提出基于Roca算法的内部节点定位的新算法,运用由外向内推进的波前法思想,生成全部的六面体网格。通过实例表明,该算法快速,稳定,可靠,可处理大量复杂2.5维实体六面体网格生成问题。     

Hexahedral mesh generation constraints

For finite element analyses within highly elastic and plastic structural domains, hexahedral meshes have historically offered some benefits over tetrahedral finite element meshes in terms of reduced error, smaller element counts, and improved reliability. However, hexahedral finite element mesh generation continues to be difficult to perform and automate, with hexahedral mesh generation taking several orders of magnitude longer than current tetrahedral mesh generators to complete. Thus, developing a better understanding of the underlying constraints that make hexahedral meshing difficult could result in dramatic reductions in the amount of time necessary to prepare a hexahedral finite element model for analysis. In this paper, we present a survey of constraints associated with hexahedral meshes (i.e., the conditions that must be satisfied to produce a hexahedral mesh). In presenting our formulation of these constraints, we will utilize the dual of a hexahedral mesh. We also discuss how incorporation of these constraints into existing hexahedral mesh generation algorithms could be utilized to extend the class of geometries to which these algorithms apply. We also describe a list of open problems in hexahedral mesh generation and give some context for future efforts in addressing these problems.     

A constructive approach to constrained hexahedral mesh generation

Mitchell proved that a necessary and sufficient condition for the existence of a topological hexahedral mesh constrained to a quadrilateral mesh on the sphere is that the constraining quadrilateral mesh contains an even number of elements. Mitchell’s proof depends on Smale’s theorem on the regularity of curves on compact manifolds. Although the question of the existence of constrained hexahedral meshes has been solved, the known solution is not easily programmable; indeed, there are cases, such as Schneider’s Pyramid, that are not easily solved. Eppstein later utilized portions of Mitchell’s existence proof to demonstrate that hexahedral mesh generation has linear complexity. In this paper, we demonstrate a constructive proof to the existence theorem for the sphere, as well as assign an upper-bound to the constant of the linear term in the asymptotic complexity measure provided by Eppstein. Our construction generates 76 × n hexahedra elements within the solid where n is the number of quadrilaterals on the boundary. The construction presented is used to solve some problems posed by Schneiders and Eppstein. We will also use the results provided in this paper, in conjunction with Mitchell’s Geode-Template, to create an alternative way of creating a constrained hexahedral mesh. The construction utilizing the Geode-Template requires 130 × n hexahedra, but will have fewer topological irregularities in the final mesh.     

有限元网格划分及发展趋势

总结近十年有限元网格划分技术发展状况。首先,研究和分析有限元网格划分的基本原则;其次,对当前典型网格划分方法进行科学地分类,结合实例,系统地分析各种网格划分方法的机理、特点及其适用范围,如映射法、基于栅格法、节点连元法、拓扑分解法、几何分解法和扫描法等;再次,阐述当前网格划分的研究热点,综述六面体网格和曲面网格划分技术;最后,展望有限元网格划分的发展趋势。     

A Case Study in Hexahedral Mesh Generation: Simulation of the Human Mandible

We provide a case study for the generation of pure hexahedral meshes for the numerical simulation of physiological stress scenarios of the human mandible. Du to its complex and very detailed free-form geometry, the mandible model is very demanding. This test case is used as a running example to demonstrate the applicability of a combinatorial approach for the generation of hexahedral meshes by means of successive dual cycle eliminations, which has been proposed by the second author in previous work. We report on the progress and recent advances of the cycle elimination scheme. The given input data, a surface triangulation obtained from computed tomography data, requires a substantial mesh reduction and a suitable conversion into a quadrilateral surface mesh as a first step, for which we use mesh clustering and b-matching techniques. Several strategies for improved cycle elimination orders are proposed. They lead to a significant reduction in the mesh size and a better structural quality. Based on the resulting combinatorial meshes, gradient-based optimized smoothing with the condition number of the Jacobian matrix as objective together with mesh untangling techniques yielded embeddings of a satisfactory quality. To test our hexahedral meshes for the mandible model within an FEM simulation we used the scenario of a bite on a ‘hard nut.’ Our simulation results are in good agreement with observations from biomechanical experiments.     

An Algorithm for Three-Dimensional Mesh Generation for Arbitrary Regions with Cracks

An algorithm for generating unstructured tetrahedral meshes of arbitrarily shaped three-dimensional regions is described. The algorithm works for regions without cracks, as well as for regions with one or multiple cracks. The algorithm incorporates aspects of well known meshing procedures, but includes some original steps. It uses an advancing front technique, along with an octree to develop local guidelines for the size of generated elements. The advancing front technique is based on a standard procedure found in the literature, with two additional steps to ensure valid volume mesh generation for virtually any domain. The first additional step is related to the generation of elements only considering the topology of the current front, and the second additional step is a back-tracking procedure with face deletion, to ensure that a mesh can be generated even when problems happen during the advance of the front. To improve mesh quality (as far as element shape is concerned), an a posteriori local mesh improvement procedure is used. The performance of the algorithm is evaluated by application to a number of realistically complex, cracked geometries.     

A control approach for pore size distribution in the bone scaffold based on the hexahedral mesh refinement

Tissue engineering is the application of that knowledge to the building or repairing of tissues. Generally, engineered tissue is a combination of living cells and a support structure called scaffolds. Modeling, design and fabrication of tissue scaffold with intricate architecture, porosity and pore size for desired tissue properties presents a challenge in tissue engineering. In this paper, a control approach for pore size distribution in the bone scaffold based on the hexahedral mesh refinement is presented. Firstly, the bone scaffold modeling approach based on the shape function in the finite element method is provided. The resulting various macroporous morphologies can be obtained. Then conformal refinement algorithm for all-hexahedral element mesh is illustrated. Finally, a modeling approach for constructing tissue engineering (TE) bone scaffold with defined pore size distribution is presented. Before the conformal refinement of all-hexahedral element mesh, a 3D mesh with various hexahedral elements must be provided. If all the pores in the bone scaffold need to be reduced, that means that the whole hexahedral mesh needs to be refined. Then the solid entity can be re-divided with altered subdivision parameters. If the pores in the local regions of bone need to be reduced, that means that 3D hexahedral mesh in the local regions needs to be refined. Based on SEM images, the pore size distribution in the normal bone can be obtained. Then, according to the conformal refinement of all-hexahedral element meshes, defined hexahedral size distribution can be gained, which leads to generate defined pore size distribution in the bone scaffold, for the pore morphology and size are controlled by various subdivided hexahedral elements. Compared to other methods such as varying processing parameters in supercritical fluid processing and multi-interior architecture design, the method proposed in this paper enjoys easy-controllability and higher accuracy.     

New method for graded mesh generation of all hexahedral finite elements

Mapping method is widely applied by most of commercial mesh generators because of its efficiency, mesh quality. One of the obstacles to apply the mapping method and generate a graded all hexahedral mesh of high quality in an arbitrarily three-dimensional domain is the generation of hexahedral parent elements on a super-element that allows for gradations in three co-ordinate directions. This paper presents a pattern module’s method to generate the graded mesh of all hexahedral elements in a cube and thus improves the mapping method. The method requires few calculations.