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Extraction of boundary representation from surface triangulations
Author(s) -
Krysl Petr,
Ortiz Michael
Publication year - 2001
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.94
Subject(s) - discretization , finite element method , polygon mesh , mesh generation , computer science , boundary representation , triangulation , boundary (topology) , isogeometric analysis , computational science , representation (politics) , topology (electrical circuits) , mathematical optimization , mathematics , algorithm , geometry , computer graphics (images) , mathematical analysis , engineering , structural engineering , combinatorics , politics , law , political science
Many computational science tools employ finite element meshes as discretizations of the geometrical domains, and automatic mesh generation has become an indispensable part of the discretization process. Boundary representations (BRep) of solids are the means of describing the geometrical model to the mesher, thus enabling the generator to proceed without user intervention. Significant effort has been devoted in the past to BRep construction in the frame‐work of solid modelling systems. In this paper we consider the task of converting a tesselation (triangulation) of the surface of a solid into a BRep, and propose a robust and efficient set of algorithms for this purpose. Applications include, among others, remeshing of finite element discretizations during simulations involving not only geometric distortion but also changes in topology (coalescence and fragmentation of solids, flow, and so on). Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.