MESHING IS DESCRETIZATION OR DIVISION OF

ANY SOLID MODEL INTO FINITE NUMBER OF

SMALL ELEMENTS THAT BEAR THE MATERIAL
PROPERTIES AND CHARACTERISTICS DESIRED
BY USER.
THUS MESHING IS NOTHING BUT CONVERSION
OF SOLID MODEL INTO FINITE ELEMENT
MODEL CONSISTING OF NODES AND
ELEMENTS.

ELEMENTS MAY BE FORMED BETWEEN NODES IN A VARIETY

OF SHAPES DEPENDING UPON THE SHAPE FUNCTION
CHOOSEN BY THE USER.E.g.TRIA,HEX,QUAD etc.
THE RESPONSE OF EVERY SHAPE FUNCTION IS DIFFERENT
SINCE THE STIFNESS MATRIX FOR EVERY SHAPE FUNCTION IS
DIFFERENT.
E.g.TRIA AND QUAD SHAPES HAVE STIFFNESS MATRICES
DIFFERENT FROM EACH OTHER HENCE THEIR RESPONSES
WILL ALSO BE DIFFERENT.
HENCE EACH SHAPE FUNCTION HAS ITS OWN ELEMENT
STIFFNESS MATRIX ,DIFFERENT FROM THE OTHER SHAPE
FUNCTION.
THUS ELEMENT SHAPE FUNCTION IS NOTHING BUT THE
FORMULATION OF ELEMENT RELATING TO ITS
SHAPE,DEGREES OF FREEDOM AND RELATION OF NODES
WITH ONE ANOTHER.AS THE FORMULATION CHANGES,THE
ELEMENT SHAPE,ITS DOF AND THE RELATION OF NODES
WITH ONE ANOTHER WILL CHANGE.

LINEAR ELEMENTS=ELEMENTS WITH ONLY

CORNER OR END NODES

QUADRATIC ELEMENTS=ELEMENTS WITH

CORNER AS WELL AS MIDSIDE NODES

THESE TWO ARE AGAIN FURTHER CLASSIFIED AS=
LINE ELEMENTS
QUAD ELEMENTS(WITH FOUR SIDES)(PLANAR
ELEMENTS)
HEX OR BRICK ELEMENTS(CUBE OR SIX SIDED)(3D
ELEMENTS)
TET(TETRAHEDRAL) ELEMENTS(PYRAMID)(3D
ELEMENTS)

BASED ON ANALYSIS TYPE

STRUCTURAL & FATIGUE=QUAD AND HEX

PREFERRED
CRASH & NON LINEAR=PROPER MESH FLOW
LINES WITH BRICK(HEX) ELEMENTS
MOLD FLOW ANALYSIS=TRIA PREFERRED
DYNAMIC ANALYSIS=SHELL ELEMENTS
PREFERRED AS BEING LESS STIFFER THEY
EASILY CAPTURE MODE SHAPES WITH MIN
NUMBER OF NODES

BASED ON DIMENSIONALITY

1-D ELEMENTS=LONG SHAFTS,BEAMS,LINKS,PIN

CONNECTIONS,JOINTS etc
2-D ELEMENTS=SHEET METAL AND PLASTIC PARTS
3D-ELEMENTS=TRANSMISSION CASINGS,ENGINE
BLOCKS,CRANKSHAFTS etc

FREE MESHING

MAPPED MESHING

VOLUME MESHES CAN CONTAIN ONLY

TETS RESULTING IN LARGE NO OF
ELEMENTS

CONTAINS HEX HENCE LOWER NO OF

ELEMENTS

ONLY HIGHER ORDER ELEMENTS ARE

USED i.e. GREATER NO OF NODES IN
AN ELEMENT.
HENCE TOTAL DOF IS GREATER

LOWER ORDER ELEMENTS ARE USED

HENCE DOF IS LOWER

VERY EASY TO CREATE

VERY DIFFICULT TO ACHIEVE A

PROPER BRICK MESH FOR COMPLEX
SHAPES.HENCE COMBINATION OF HEX
AND TET CAN BE USED.

NO RULES EXCEPT SMART SIZING

AREA HAS TO BE SIDED & VOLUME

MUST CONTAIN 5/6 AREAS.IF NOT
SLICING/CONCATENATION HAS TO BE
USED.

PREFERRED IN SOME CASES

PREFERRED IN MOST OF THE CASES

RESULT QUALITY IS DIRECTLY PROPORTIONAL TO ELEMENT

QUALITY
IDEAL SHAPE FOR QUAD ELEMENTS IS SQUARE
IDEAL SHAPE FOR TRIANGULAR ELEMENTS IS EQUILATERAL
TRIANGLE
DIFERENT QUALITY PARAMETERS ARE MEASURES OF HOW FAR AN
ELEMENT SHAPE VARIES FROM THE IDEAL SHAPE
SOME OF QUALITY CHECKS ARE BASED ON ANGLE(SQR HAS TO BE
90,TRIA 60)(SKEW,INCLUDED ANGLES)
TO REDUCE SOLUTION TIME ELEMENTS ARE MAPPED TO LCS (i.e.AT
ELEMENT CENTROID)INSTEAD OF USING SINGLE
GCS.EFFECTIVENESS OF THIS TRANSFORMATION IS CHECKED BY
JACOBIAN AND DISTORTION.
IDEALLY ALL THE NODES OF ELEMENT SHOULD LIE IN SAME PLANE
BUT AT COMPLICATED GEOMETRIES IT DOESNT HAPPEN.MEASURE
OF OUT OF PLANE ANGLE IS WARPING.
HERE ARE CERTAIN QUALITY CHECKS,NAMES MAY DIFFER FROM
SOFTWARE TO SOFTWARE

WARP ANGLE=OUT OF PLANE ANGLE (NOT APPLICABLE TO

TRIA)
ANGLE BETWEEN NORMAL TO TWO PLANES FORMED BY
SPLITTING QUAD ELEMENT ALONG DIAGONALS.MAX OUT OF
PLANE ANGLE OUT OF TWO POSSIBILITIES IS WARP ANGLE
IDEAL VALUE=0,ACCEPTABLE<10

ASPECT RATIO=MAX ELEMENT EDGE

LENGTH/MIN ELEMENT EDGE LENGTH
IDEAL=1,ACCEPTABLE<5

SKEW FOR QUAD=90-MIN ANGLE BETWEEN TWO LINES

JOINING OPPOSITE MIDSIDE OF ELEMENT

SKEW FOR TRIA=90-MIN ANGLE BETWEEN LINES FROM EACH

NODE TO OPPOSING MIDSIDE AND BETWEEN TWO ADJACENT
MIDSIDES AT EACH NODE OF ELEMENT
IDEAL=0,ACCEPTABLE<45

JACOBIAN=SCALE FACTOR ARISING DUE TO

TRANSFORMATION OF CO-ORDINATE
SYSTEM.ELEMENTS ARE TRANSFERRED FROM
GLOBAL CS TO LOCAL CS FOR FASTER
ANALYSIS
IDEAL=1,ACCEPTABLE>0.6
DISTORTION=[JACOBIAN]*AREA(lcs)/AREA(gcs)
IDEAL VALUE=1,ACCEPTABLE>0.6
INCLUDED ANGLES=SKEW IS BASED ON
OVERALL ELEMENT SHAPE AND DOESNOT TAKE
INTO ACCOUNT INCLUDED ANGLES OF QUAD
AND TRIA.THIS CHECK IS FOR INDIVIDUAL
ANGLES
QUAD=90(45-135)
TRIA=60(20-120)

STRETCH
IDEAL=1,ACCEPTABLE>0.2
QUAD=Lmin*2^0.5/dmax
TRIA=R*12^0.5/Lmax

TAPER=[(Ai-Aavg)/Aavg]
Aavg=(A1+A2+A3+A4)/4
IDEAL=0,ACCEPTABLE<0.5

TETRA

TETRA COLLAPSE=(h*1.24/A)
IDEAL=1,ACCEPTABLE>0.1

SKEW
IDEAL=0,ACCEPTABLE<0.7
STRETCH
IDEAL=1,ACCEPTABLE>0.2
DISTORTION
IDEAL=1,ACCEPTABLE>0.5
JACOBIAN
IDEAL=1,ACCEPTABLE>0.5

BRICK

WARP
IDEAL=0,ACCEPTABLE<30
JACOBIAN
IDEAL=1,ACCEPTABLE>0.5
STRETCH
IDEAL=1,ACCEPTABLE=0.2
ASPECT
IDEAL=1,ACCEPTABLE<5
SKEW
IDEAL=0,ACCEPTABLE<45

SMRTSIZE=Specifies meshing parameters for

automatic (smart) element sizing.
SIZLVL Overall element size level for
meshing. The level value controls the
fineness of the mesh. (Any input in this field
causes remaining arguments to be ignored.)
Valid inputs are:
FAC Scaling factor applied to the computed
default mesh sizing. Defaults to 1 for helements (size level 6), which is medium.
Values from 0.2 to 5.0 are allowed.

EXPND Mesh expansion (or contraction) factor. (This

factor is the same as MOPT,EXPND,Value.) EXPND is
used to size internal elements in an area based on
the size of the elements on the area's boundaries. For
example, issuing SMRTSIZE,,,2 before meshing an
area will allow a mesh with elements that are
approximately twice as large in the interior of an
area as they are on the boundary. If EXPND is less
than 1, a mesh with smaller elements on the interior
of the area will be allowed. EXPND should be greater
than 0.5 but less than 4. EXPND defaults to 1 for helements (size level 6), which does not allow
expansion or contraction of internal element sizes
(except when using AESIZE element sizing). (If EXPND
is set to zero, the default value of 1 will be used.)
The actual size of the internal elements will also
depend on the TRANS option or upon AESIZE or ESIZE
sizing, if used.

TRANS Mesh transition factor. (This factor is the same

as MOPT,TRANS,Value.) TRANS is used to control how
rapidly elements are permitted to change in size from
the boundary to the interior of an area. TRANS
defaults to 2.0 for h-elements (size level 6), which
permits elements to approximately double in size from
one element to the next as they approach the interior
of the area. (If TRANS is set to zero, the default value
will be used.) TRANS must be greater than 1 and, for
best results, should be less than 4. The actual size of
the internal elements will also depend on the EXPND
option or upon AESIZE or ESIZE sizing, if used.
ANGL Maximum spanned angle per lower-order
element for curved lines. Defaults to 22.5 degrees per
element (size level 6). This angle limit may be
exceeded if the mesher encounters a small feature
(hole, fillet, etc.). (This value is NOT the same as that
set by DESIZE,,,,ANGL.) This option does not apply to
p-element meshes.

ANGH Maximum spanned angle per higherorder element for curved lines. Defaults to 30
degrees per element (size level 6). This angle
limit may be exceeded if the mesher
encounters a small feature (hole, fillet, etc.).
(This value is NOT the same as that set by
DESIZE,,,,,ANGH.)
GRATIO Allowable growth ratio used for
proximity checking. Defaults to 1.5 for helements (size level 6). Values from 1.2 to 5.0
are allowed; however, values from 1.5 to 2.0
are recommended.
SMHLC Small hole coarsening key, can be ON
(default for size level 6) or OFF. If ON, this
feature suppresses curvature refinement that
would result in very small element edges
(i.e., refinement around small features).

SMANC Small angle coarsening key, can be ON

(default for all levels) or OFF. If ON, this feature
restricts proximity refinement in areas where it
is ill-advised (that is, in tight corners on areas,
especially those that approach 0 degrees).
MXITR Maximum number of sizing iterations
(defaults to 4 for all levels).
SPRX Surface proximity refinement key, can be
off (SPRX = 0, which is the default for all levels)
or on via two different values (SPRX = 1 or SPRX
= 2). If SPRX = 1, surface proximity refinement is
performed and any shell elements that need to
be modified are modified. If SPRX=2, surface
proximity refinement is performed but no shell
elements are altered.

EXPND

Area mesh expansion (or contraction) option. (This

option is the same as SMRTSIZE,,,EXPND.) This option is
used to size internal elements in an area based on the
size of the elements on the area's boundaries. Value is
the expansion (or contraction) factor. For example,
issuing MOPT,EXPND,2 before meshing an area will
allow a mesh with elements that are approximately
twice as large in the interior of an area as they are on
the boundary. If Value is less than 1, a mesh with
smaller elements on the interior of the area will be
allowed. Value for this option should be greater than
0.5 but less than 4. Value defaults to 1, which does not
allow expansion or contraction of internal element
sizes (except when using AESIZE sizing). If Value = 0,
the default value of 1 will be used. The actual size of
the internal elements will also depend on the TRANS
option, or upon AESIZE or ESIZE sizing, if used.

TRANS
Mesh transition option. (This option is the
same as SMRTSIZE,,,,TRANS.) This option is
used to control how rapidly elements are
permitted to change in size from the
boundary to the interior of an area. Value is
the transitioning factor. Value defaults to 2.0,
which permits elements to approximately
double in size as they approach the interior
of the area. (If Value = 0, the default value of
2 will be used.) Value must be greater than 1
and, for best results, should be less than 4.
The actual size of the internal elements will
also depend on the EXPND option, or upon
AESIZE or ESIZE sizing, if used.

TETEXPND Tet-mesh expansion (or

contraction) option. This option is used to size
internal elements in a volume based on the size
of the elements on the volume's boundaries.
Value is the expansion (or contraction) factor.
For example, issuing MOPT,TETEXPND,2 before
meshing a volume will allow a mesh with
elements that are approximately twice as large
in the interior of the volume as they are on the
boundary. If Value is less than 1, a mesh with
smaller elements on the interior of the volume
will be allowed. Value for this option should be
greater than 0.1 but less than 3. Value defaults
to 1, which does not allow expansion or
contraction of internal element sizes. If Value =
0, the default value of 1 will be used. If Value is
greater than 2, mesher robustness may be
affected.

DESIZE=Controls default element sizes.

MINL Minimum number of elements that will
be attached to a line when using lower-order
elements (defaults to 3 elements per line). If
MINL = DEFA, all arguments will be set back to
default values. If MINL = STAT, list status of
command (Including on/off status). If MINL =
OFF, deactivate default element sizing. If
MINL = ON, reactivate default element sizing.
MINH Minimum number of elements that will
be attached to a line when using higher-order
elements. Defaults to 2 elements per line.

MXEL Maximum number of elements that will be

attached to a single line (lower or higher-order
elements). Defaults to 15 elements per line for helements and 6 divisions per line for p-elements. To
deactivate this limit, specify a large number (such as
9999).
ANGL Maximum spanned angle per lower-order element
for curved lines. Defaults to 15 degrees per element.
ANGH Maximum spanned angle per higher-order element
for curved lines. Defaults to 28 degrees per element.
EDGMN Minimum element edge length. Defaults to no
minimum edge length. The MINL or MINH argument can
override this value.

EDGMX Maximum element edge length.

Defaults to no maximum edge length. The
MXEL argument can override this value.
ADJF Target aspect ratio for adjacent line.
Used only when free meshing. Defaults to
1.0, which attempts to create equal sided helements; defaults to 4 for p-elements.
ADJM Target aspect ratio for adjacent line.
Used only when map meshing. Defaults to
4.0, which attempts to create rectangular helements; defaults to 6 for p-elements.