Parallel fem algorithms based on recursive spatial decomposition—I. Automatic mesh generation

This paper discusses an automatic meshing scheme that is suitable for parallel processing. Meshes derived from solid models through recursive spatial decompositions inherit the hierarchical organization and the spatial addressability of the underlying grid. These two properties are exploited to design a meshing algorithm capable of operating in parallel (concurrent) processing environments. The concept of a meshing operator for parallel processing is defined and algorithms for various stages of the automatic meshing scheme are presented. A systematic simulation of fine- and coarse-grain parallel configurations is used to evaluate the performance of the meshing scheme. A companion paper focuses on parallel processing for the analysis of these automatically derived meshes via hierarchical substructuring.