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Coarsening of mesh models for representation of rigid objects in finite element analysis
Author(s) -
Hattangady Nitin V.
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
international journal for numerical methods in engineering
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.421
H-Index - 168
eISSN - 1097-0207
pISSN - 0029-5981
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1097-0207(19990130)44:3<313::aid-nme502>3.0.co;2-v
Subject(s) - finite element method , solver , representation (politics) , computer science , computation , forging , process (computing) , mesh generation , component (thermodynamics) , contact analysis , visualization , filter (signal processing) , algorithm , computational science , mechanical engineering , structural engineering , engineering , artificial intelligence , computer vision , politics , law , political science , physics , thermodynamics , programming language , operating system
Finite element modelling of processes, where geometry of the component evolves with time, usually involves checks/computations for contact between objects. Examples of these kinds of processes are sheet forming, bulk forming (forging, extrusion, rolling), etc. In some cases, it may be acceptable not to perform any specific analysis on the dies and treat them as being rigid . In such cases, it is best to represent mesh models for the rigid objects with as few elements as possible. This significantly reduces the time spent by the solver in geometric checks for contact between objects. Hence, a module has been developed to read an existing discrete representation (mesh or STL facets) and coarsen it based on certain user specified criteria. This module can be used as a filter before running the analysis. Other benefits of using a compact mesh model to represent the rigid object include (a) reduced memory usage by the application, (b) a smaller results database, (c) faster visualization algorithms, and (d) faster transmission of mesh model data across networks. Results from the finite element analysis of a forging process, performed with a commercial solver, are presented. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.