Lecture 8

Hexa Meshing
14.5 Release

Introduction to ANSYS
ICEM CFD
© 2012 ANSYS, Inc. April 1, 2013 1 Release 14.5
 What is Blocking?
A hexa mesh is created by first making a “blocking”
• A blocking breaks down a geometry into large brick-shapes and structures the
direction of grid lines by the arrangement of the blocks
• Each “block” is easily meshed with a pure Cartesian mesh
– Some blocks can be defined as “swept” and be unstructured along one face
• Block entities (faces, edges, and vertices) are projected onto the geometry
• The blocking is saved to an independent file, and can be loaded onto a
different geometry

Mesh with
projection
Blocking

Mesh without
Geometry projection

© 2012 ANSYS, Inc. April 1, 2013 2 Release 14.5

 Approach – Top Down and/or Bottom Up
Block structure is created independent of geometry
• “Top down” topology creation
– The user as sculptor instead of brick layer
– One-step creation of advanced topologies (O-grid)
O-grid

• “Bottom up” topology creation

– Blocking is built up like “laying bricks”
• Create blocks
• Extrude face
• Copy topologies

• Combinations of top-down and bottom-up methods can be used

© 2012 ANSYS, Inc. April 1, 2013 3 Release 14.5
 Geometry Requirements for Hexa
Use same geometry (tetin) as used with Tetra Associating Face to
Surface to a dummy point
– Does not necessarily need to be a completely
family or Interpolation
enclosed volume but it helps can effectively mesh
where geometry doesn’t
exist
Blocking

Geometry

– Points and curves are not required but are very

useful
• Use Build Diagnostic Topology to quickly build all
curves and points
– Block structure is projected to geometry
• Surfaces – automatically with manual override
• Curves and points – manually projected
© 2012 ANSYS, Inc. April 1, 2013 4 Release 14.5
 Geometry/Blocking Nomenclature
• Geometry • Blocking
– Point – Vertex
– Curve – Edge
– Surface – Face
– Volume – Block
Vertex

Curve Edge

Point
Face
Surfaces

Note: “curve” refers to lines, arcs, and splines (1D geometry)

Block
© 2012 ANSYS, Inc. April 1, 2013 5 Release 14.5
 Blocking process
• Structure blocking to capture the shape of the geometry
– Top down
• split and discard unused blocks
– Bottom up
• create block by extrusion, creating, copying

• Associate blocking to geometry

– Usually just edges to curves

• Move vertices onto geometry

– Manual and automatic methods

• Assign mesh sizes

– Quickly by setting sizes on surfaces and/or curves
– Fine tune by setting edge distributions

• View mesh and check/improve quality

• Write out mesh
© 2012 ANSYS, Inc. April 1, 2013 6 Release 14.5
 Initialize Blocking-3D or 2D
• New Blocking
– 3D Bounding Box
• One 3D volume block
encompassing selected
entities

– 2D Planar
• One 2D block on XY
plane around entire 2D
geometry
• First rotate geometry to
XY plane
• No surfaces required
– 2D Surface Blocking
• Discussed next slide
© 2012 ANSYS, Inc. April 1, 2013 7 Release 14.5
 Initialize Blocking-2D Surface
• 2D Surface Blocking
– Each surface becomes one 2D block
– Free blocks – fully unstructured
• Most robust
– Mapped – structured
• Aligned mesh along 4 block boundary edges

Geometry 2D blocking
Unstructured
– Must Build Diagnostic Topology first
• It needs the connectivity information
– Can always convert blocks between free and mapped
afterward: Edit Block > Convert Block Type
© 2012 ANSYS, Inc. April 1, 2013 8 Release 14.5
 Structuring Blocking to Fit Geometry
Top down approach Split the block to capture
the underlying shape

Start with
one block
which
encloses the
entire
geometry

Delete unused
blocks

Note: Deleted blocks are put into the part VORFN by

default, so they can be re-used later if wanted
© 2012 ANSYS, Inc. April 1, 2013 9 Release 14.5
 Associate Blocking to Geometry
• Associate blocking to geometry
– Usually just Edges to Curves
– In the final mesh, edges will take the
shape (be projected to) these curves
– Right click on Edges > Show
Association in the model tree to
display the association arrows

© 2012 ANSYS, Inc. April 1, 2013 10 Release 14.5

 Move Vertices onto geometry
• Move vertices to better
represent the shape
– All visible or selected
vertices can be projected
to the geometry at once
– Can be moved individually
along the geometry
– Single or multiple at a time
– Along fixed plane or
line/vector

© 2012 ANSYS, Inc. April 1, 2013 11 Release 14.5

 Moving Vertices of Different Association
• Color indicates type of association and how a vertex will
move (edges also follow these colors, except red)
– Red
• Constrained to a point
• Can’t be moved unless association is changed
– Green
• Constrained to a curve
• Vertex slides along that particular curve
– White (black on light background)
• Constrained to surfaces
• Vertex will slide along any ACTIVE surface
(surface parts which are turned on in the model
tree)
• If not on a surface, it will jump to the NEAREST
ACTIVE surface when moved
– Blue
• Free (usually internal) vertex
• Select NEAR (not on) the vertex on the edge to
move along edge direction
© 2012 ANSYS, Inc. April 1, 2013 12 Release 14.5
 Workshop 8.1

– 2D Pipe Junction
– Watch the instructor

© 2012 ANSYS, Inc. April 1, 2013 13 Release 14.5

 Assign Mesh Size
• Assign mesh sizes
– Hexa sizes can be assigned on
surfaces and curves for a quick
mesh
– Need to Update sizes to apply to
surface/curve sizes to edges
– Or set edge-by-edge for fine tuning
• Automatic Copy to parallel edges

© 2012 ANSYS, Inc. April 1, 2013 14 Release 14.5

 Edge Parameters
Spacing 2 = 1.0
Side 2

Ratio 2 = 1.5
Arrow
Ratio 1 = 1.5 indicates
side 1
17 meshing
and side
laws Spacing 1 = 1.0
Side 1 2
Side 1 (base of
arrow) params
Requested Actual

Side 2 (head
of arrow)
params

Spacing 1 – distance between first two nodes on side 1

Ratio 1 – growth ratio from side 1 toward center
Spacing 2 – distance between first two nodes on side 2
Spacing can be linked to Ratio 2 – growth ratio from side 2 toward center
another edge Max Space – Maximum element length along edge
© 2012 ANSYS, Inc. April 1, 2013 15 Release 14.5
 View Pre-Mesh
• Pre-Mesh
– Create mesh at any stage of the process
– Mesh with different projection methods
– Use Project faces (default) to fully represent the
geometry
– View only certain surface mesh by turning on
only that Part in the model tree
– Use Scan planes to view internal mesh (covered
later)

No Face
projection projection

© 2012 ANSYS, Inc. April 1, 2013 16 Release 14.5

 Checking Quality
• Using the Quality Histogram
– Determinant
• Measurement of element
deformation (squareness)
• Most solvers accept > 0.1
• Shoot for > 0.2
– Angle
• Element minimum
internal angles
• Shoot for >18 degrees
– Aspect ratio
– Volume
– Warpage
• Shoot for < 45 degrees
– Many more metrics

You can display elements in a given

range by selecting the histogram bar
© 2012 ANSYS, Inc. April 1, 2013 17 Release 14.5
 Write Mesh
• Convert pre-mesh to a permanent mesh
– Two formats depending on what your solver takes
• Unstructured: Cells defined by node numbers (connectivity)
• Structured: Multiblock – cells defined by i, j, k index
– Blocking changes will no longer affect this mesh
– Functions in Edit Mesh tab will now work with mesh

Using the
File>Blocking>Save
… menu only writes
the mesh to disk

Pre-Mesh>Convert
to…” a mesh from the
model tree saves and
immediately loads the
mesh

© 2012 ANSYS, Inc. April 1, 2013 18 Release 14.5

 Workshop 8.2
– 3D Pipe Junction
– Finish The Cartesian block

© 2012 ANSYS, Inc. April 1, 2013 19 Release 14.5

 Ogrid Definition
• An O-grid is a series of blocks created in one step which arranges grid
lines into an “O” shape or a wrapping nature
• 3 basic types created through the same operation all referred to as “O-grids”
• O-grid
• C-grid (half O-grid) O-grid C-grid L-grid

• L-grid (quarter O-grid)

• Reduce skew where a block corner must lie on a continuous curve/surface
• Cylinders
• Complex geometries
• Improves efficiency of node clustering near walls for CFD applications

No O-grid O-grid

© 2012 ANSYS, Inc. April 1, 2013 20 Release 14.5

 Creating Ogrid
• Select blocks for O-grid
– Can select by visible, all, part, around face,
around edge, around vertex, 2 corner method,
or individual selection

5 blocks in 2D

7 blocks in 3D

Select specific
blocks or around
Note: Internal block has all internal (blue) edges and
face, edge, or vertex
vertices
© 2012 ANSYS, Inc. April 1, 2013 21 Release 14.5
 Ogrid – Adding Edges/Faces
• Adding faces during O-grid creation
– O-grid “passes through” the selected block faces
– In general, add faces on the “flat parts”
– Adding a face actually adds blocks on both sides of the face
O-grid passes
through this face
Half O-
grid (C-
grid)

• Examples of uses
– Pipe ends
– Symmetry planes
– Complex
geometries O-grid passes
through this face
© 2012 ANSYS, Inc. April 1, 2013 22 Release 14.5
 Ogrid – Adding Multiple Edges/Faces
• Any number of faces can be added around a selected block
– If all the faces are added around a block, the result is no
change since the O-grid passes through all the faces

Quarter O-
grid (L-grid)
Quarter O-
grids can be
used to block
triangular
shapes

Seen as a C-
grid in one
direction and
an L-grid in
another
direction

© 2012 ANSYS, Inc. April 1, 2013 23 Release 14.5

 Ogrid – Around Blocks
• Select Around block(s) to create the O-grid around
the selected blocks
– Useful for creating wrap-around grid around a solid
object
– Examples
• Flow over a cylinder
• Boundary layer resolution around an airplane or car body

© 2012 ANSYS, Inc. April 1, 2013 24 Release 14.5

 Scaling Ogrid
• O-grids can be re-sized after or during creation
– By default the O-grid size is set to minimize block
distortion
– You are actually scaling all parallel O-grid (radial)
edges to the selected edge
– The selected edge is given a factor of 1
– Numbers < 1 will shrink the edge and thus create a
larger inner block

Selected edge Factor = 0.3

factor = 1

© 2012 ANSYS, Inc. April 1, 2013 25 Release 14.5

 Why Create an Ogrid?

Before O-grid

This mesh can be improved by using an O-grid Right mouse click on the histogram
– An example of bad mesh in the block corners to access options like show, replot,
or done

© 2012 ANSYS, Inc. April 1, 2013 26 Release 14.5

 Index Scheme
• All blocks and vertices are defined with a global index scheme
– Initial block has i,j,k indices aligned with Cartesian x,y,z, global coordinates
– Subsequent blocks created by the split operation will maintain that orientation
– O-grids will not conform to this orientation, so each O-grid creates a new index
direction (O3, O4, etc…) (i,j,k correspond to dimension 0,1,2)
– Vertex Indices can be displayed by right clicking on Vertices > Indices in the
model tree

i=1 j=2 k=4 O-grid3=1

1 2 4 3:1

© 2012 ANSYS, Inc. April 1, 2013 27 Release 14.5

 Select corners is often faster
than toggling the index arrows
Using Index Control
• Blocks can be turned off and on based
on indices
– Use the index control to turn blocks off
and on
Load and save index settings
– Many operations can be applied to only
the visible blocks Resets everything to fully visible
• Split blocks
• Rescale O-grid

© 2012 ANSYS, Inc. April 1, 2013 28 Release 14.5

 VORFN Part
• A region of blocks called VORFN surrounds the blocking
– The reserved part name VORFN is created in the model tree when blocking is
initialized
– It is used to maintain the global index scheme
– Indices begin at 0 (in VORFN region)
– Deleting blocks normally (non-permanently) just changes the part to VORFN
• Blocks can be moved back out of VORFN to another part
– Deleting blocks permanently gets rid of the block and rebuilds VORFN as an O-grid

Original
VORFN

Selected blocks are actually

removed and VORFN is
rebuilt (as an Ogrid) VORFN becomes an O-grid
Turn on to see VORFN after deleting blocks
© 2012 ANSYS, Inc. April 1, 2013 29 permanently Release 14.5
 Workshop 8.3
– 3D Pipe Junction
– Import existing block
– Create an Ogrid

© 2012 ANSYS, Inc. April 1, 2013 30 Release 14.5

 Removing Splits and Ogrids
• Splits and O-grids can be deleted by using Merge
vertices > propagate
– Select two vertices at the ends of an edge running
in the direction you want to delete
– Middle click, then Confirm
– The second vertex merges to the first vertex when
Merge to average is off, and the merge will be
propagated
– If deleting an O-grid, only select the vertices of one
radial edge

Deleting a split Deleting an O-grid

1
2
2
1
© 2012 ANSYS, Inc. April 1, 2013 31 Release 14.5
 Extrude Face
• Select block face (select face or use two corner
method)
– Interactive
• Drag with the pointer
– Extrude a Fixed distance 2 corner method
• Enter distance
– Extrude along curve
• Select curve

Extrude along curve

Select
face

© 2012 ANSYS, Inc. April 1, 2013 32 Release 14.5

 Set Location
Set X, Y, and/or Z of selected vertices
– Select Ref. Vertex, then select vertices to move or use the
index control and select all visible vertices (“v”)
– Select directions to move (Modify X, Y, Z)
• Can use a local coordinate system (cylindrical,
Cartesian)
• If cylindrical coor. System, (x, y, z) becomes (r, θ, z)
– Enter values or use the values from the Ref. vertex or
screen location
– Method can be Set Position or Increment
– Apply

Set z
Select these coordinate
vertices z of vertices
© 2012 ANSYS, Inc. April 1, 2013 Z-dir 33 Release 14.5
 Align Vertices
Align multiple vertices in one plane with vertices in
another plane (or split dimension)
– Select Along edge direction, then select the edge that
connects the two planes, or runs approximately normal
to the split plane that you want to move inside
– Select Reference vertex, then select any vertex in the
plane you want to align to. These vertices will remain
fixed
– Select the plane to allow vertex movement within (XY,
YZ, XZ, or User Defined). The User Defined plane must
be specified with a normal vector, such as (1 1 0)
– Apply Select any of
these vertices
as reference

All visible vertices

not sharing the
Move
reference index will
vertices in Select this
be moved
this plane edge
© 2012 ANSYS, Inc. April 1, 2013 34 Release 14.5
 Create Blocks – 2D to 3D
A 2D blocking can be extruded into a 3D blocking by
three different methods
– Multizone Fill
• Auto creation of 3D blocking from enclosed 2D
surface blocks
– Translate
– Rotate

Rotate

Number of nodes in
circumferential
direction
Extrudes points into
curves and curves
into surfaces where Surface mesh
3D geometry doesn’t and scan planes
exist
© 2012 ANSYS, Inc. April 1, 2013 35 Release 14.5
 Create Block – Hexa (Vertex Locations)
• Create block types
– Hexa
• 8 vertices or locations (selection order is
important) (Choose a vector direction and do the
same order on opposite faces)
• 2 faces
– Quarter O-grid (Y-grid)
– Degenerate
5
1
Select 8
2 6
vertices
3 7
4 8

Select
2 faces

© 2012 ANSYS, Inc. April 1, 2013 36 Release 14.5

 Create Block – Hexa (Geometry Locations)
• What if I don’t have 8 vertices to select?
– Select the vertices that you do have
– Press middle mouse button
– Select the rest of the locations on the screen
– The same order must be maintained as before

1
2 5
6
3
4
7
8

Press
middle
button

© 2012 ANSYS, Inc. April 1, 2013 37 Release 14.5

 Create Block – Wedge
Degenerate
– Select 6 vertices or locations 5
– Order is important (see picture)
4 2
– Grid lines converge at vertices 1 and 4
– Results in penta6 (prism) elements along 1 6 3
one edge
Quarter-O-Grid
– Results in all Hexa “wedge” (Y
configuration)

Degenerate Quarter-O-Grid

© 2012 ANSYS, Inc. April 1, 2013 38 Release 14.5

 Create Block – Swept Block
Swept (Unstructured)
• Select 6 vertices or locations
• Different order than 6
degenerate, quarter o-grid 5
2
• Results in unstructured mesh
• Some tris/prisms 1
4
3
Can also Convert Block Type
• To Structured
• To Unstructured (2D)
• To Swept (3D)
• Hex blocks as well as
degenerate wedges

© 2012 ANSYS, Inc. April 1, 2013 39 Release 14.5

 Collapse Blocks
Collapsing blocks
– Select edge to define collapse direction
– Select blocks to collapse
– Results in a degenerate block (converges to
penta6 (prism) elements) for adjacent blocks
– Degenerate block is often deleted

Select
edge

Example: meshing
around knife-edge
wings

© 2012 ANSYS, Inc. April 1, 2013 40 Release 14.5

 Split Vertex
Separates or undoes merged vertices, including
vertices merged due to a collapsed block
– Select any numbers of vertices and middle click
– Apply
– If you have deleted any blocks permanently after
vertices were merged, this operation may not
work to undo the merge. This is because a new
index scheme is configured when blocks are
permanently deleted

Select
these
two
vertices

© 2012 ANSYS, Inc. April 1, 2013 41 Release 14.5

 Periodicity in Geometry
First must be specified in tetin file
• Global Mesh Size -> Set up Periodicity
– Translational
• Enter vector which specifies magnitude and
direction
– Rotational
• Enter Axis vector – only specifies direction
• Enter Base point that axis goes through
• Enter Angle in degrees

o
21.1765
(360/17)

Base (0 0 0) Axis (0 0 1)
© 2012 ANSYS, Inc. April 1, 2013 42 Release 14.5
 Periodicity in Blocking
Vertices then made periodic in blocking
– Select Edit Block -> Periodic Vertices -> Create
– Select pairs of vertices at a time
– The second vertex of each pair will move to the
periodic position of the first vertex
– When you move one vertex, its pair will move
with it
– Subsequent splits will also be periodic
– Visually verify with RMB on Vertices ->
Periodic, and Faces -> Periodic Faces in model
tree
– A face becomes periodic only if its 4 corner
vertices are periodic

Subsequent splits
are also periodic
© 2012 ANSYS, Inc. April 1, 2013 43 Release 14.5
 2 Ways of Blocking the Same Geometry
• Creating a fork by Merge vertices

Delete
block

Merge 2
more
vertex
Merge 2
pairs
vertex pairs
© 2012 ANSYS, Inc. April 1, 2013 44 Release 14.5
 2 Ways of Blocking the Same Geometry
• Creating a fork by Extrude faces

Extrude 1 Extrude 2 Associate

© 2012 ANSYS, Inc. April 1, 2013 45 Release 14.5
 Multiple Ways of Blocking the Same Geometry
• Creating a fork with Top-down methods

split Move
Two
quarter vertices
Delete
O-grids blocks

One
quarter
O-grid

One
quarter
O-grid

© 2012 ANSYS, Inc. April 1, 2013 46 Release 14.5

 Topology
What is common in these?
• Their block topology

© 2012 ANSYS, Inc. April 1, 2013 47 Release 14.5

 Topology
All these parts have the same basic This helical
topology blocking is quickly
• Blocking strategy for all pipes are created with
similar. extrude along curve
• Single block with O-grid
• The only difference is the number of
splits added to help control the blocking
• Create the one block, then split, and add
O-grid last

splits
Single block with
Single block Single block with multiple splits and
with o-grid 5 splits and o-grid o-grid
© 2012 ANSYS, Inc. April 1, 2013 48 Release 14.5
 Workshop 8.4
– Elbow Geometry
– Decide on blocking topology to fit
the tube and also the inner port
hole
– Use of O-grids to model the port
hole and to create the boundary
layer and improve element quality
in the large pipe bend

© 2012 ANSYS, Inc. April 1, 2013 49 Release 14.5