Premium
Tetrahedral mesh generation based on space indicator functions
Author(s) -
Friess Hansmartin,
Haussener Sophia,
Steinfeld Aldo,
Petrasch Jörg
Publication year - 2012
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/nme.4419
Subject(s) - polygon mesh , mesh generation , tetrahedron , volume mesh , surface (topology) , computer science , algorithm , isosurface , boundary (topology) , adaptive mesh refinement , lattice (music) , finite volume method , mathematics , geometry , finite element method , computational science , mathematical analysis , visualization , artificial intelligence , physics , engineering , mechanics , structural engineering , acoustics
SUMMARY An algorithm for the generation of tetrahedral volume meshes is developed for highly irregular objects specified by volumetric representations such as domain indicator functions and tomography data. It is based on red–green refinement of an initial mesh derived from a body‐centered cubic lattice. A quantitative comparison of alternative types of initial meshes is presented. The minimum set of best‐quality green refinement schemes is identified. Boundary conformity is established by deforming or splitting surface‐crossing elements. Numerical derivatives of input data are strictly avoided. Furthermore, the algorithm features surface‐adaptive mesh density based on local surface roughness, which is an integral property of finite surface portions. Examples of applications are presented for computer tomography of porous media. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.