Mesh mating conditions

Use the Mesh Mating Condition command to connect individual 2D or 3D meshes together at a specified interface. The software ensures that connectivity is maintained at that interface.

For example, you can use Mesh Mating Condition to:

• Connect the meshes on similar bodies within an assembly.

• Create identical meshes on two faces to facilitate contact definition.

Understanding the roles of the source and target faces

In a mesh mating condition, the software creates a connection between the mesh on the face of one body and the mesh on the face of another body. One face serves as the source face for the mating condition, and the other face serves as the target face. The source face controls the density of the mesh at the interface. In general, for Glue Non-Coincident and Glue Free Coincident type conditions, the source face should have a finer mesh, and the target face should have a more coarse mesh. However, when you define a mesh mating condition, you actually select the faces of the part and not the meshes.

In the Mesh Mating Condition dialog box:

• If you select Automatic Creation from the Type list, the software evaluates the selected bodies and tries to automatically create pairs of source and target faces between overlapping faces that fall within the specified Search Distance.Note: With the Automatic Creation option, you have the option of selecting faces or bodies to define a target region. However, even if you select a face, the software promotes that selection to the body associated with that face. This means that with the Automatic Creation option, the software always creates mesh mating conditions between all overlapping faces on the selected bodies. If you want to limit the creation of mesh mating conditions to only selected faces, you must select the Manual Creation option from the Type list.The software only uses the Search Distance when it initially evaluates whether to create the mating condition between two faces. If the distance between the faces later changes, the software does not modify or delete the mating condition.

• If you select Manual Creation from the Type list, you create the face pairs by manually selecting the source and target faces for each pair.

Tip:

You can click Reverse Direction on the Mesh Mating Conditions dialog box to reverse which face is the source and which face is the target.

Selecting the type of mesh mating condition to create

Use the Mesh Mating Condition Type list to control the type of connection that the software creates between the bodies. See Types of mesh mating conditions for more information.

Note:

You cannot use a Glue Coincident type of mating condition to connect the faces of two sheet bodies or the faces of two surface wrap bodies.

When you use a Free Coincident type of mating condition to connect the faces of two surface wrap bodies, the two faces must be identical.

Mesh mating conditions that are created by the Split Body command

In the Split Body dialog box, if you select either the Create Mesh Mating Conditions or the Keep Imprinted Edges option, the software automatically creates Glue Coincident type mesh mating conditions between the bodies when you switch to the FEM file. You should inspect these mating conditions and ensure that they were created at all appropriate locations.

• If the Split Body command did not create all the necessary mating conditions, use the Mesh Mating Condition command with the Automatic Creation option to try to create the remaining mating conditions. If the software still does not create all necessary mesh mating conditions, use the Mesh Mating Condition command with the Manual Creation option to manually create the remaining mating conditions.

• You cannot use the Mesh Mating Condition dialog box to modify a Glue Coincident mating condition that the Split Body command creates. For example, if you want a Free Coincident mating condition at the location where you split bodies, you must:Display the idealized part.In the Part Navigator, right-click the Split Body feature and select Edit Feature Parameters.In the Split Body dialog box, deselect either the Create Mesh Mating Conditions or the Keep Imprinted Edges option.Display the FEM file.Use the Mesh Mating Condition command to create the new mating conditions.

Controlling the display of status messages for mesh mating conditions

Use the Show Mesh Mating Condition Status Log customer default to have the software print a status report to the Information window instead of in a pop-up message when you create or update mesh mating conditions. When the CAD part associated with a FEM file updates, changes in the CAD geometry can affect existing mesh mating conditions in the FEM file. The status report lists when the update process:

• Recreates a mesh mating condition.

• Deletes a mesh mating condition.

• Changes the type of a mesh mating condition, for example if the update process changes an existing Glue-Coincident condition to a Glue Non-Coincident condition.

Additionally, the software places the faces associated with deleted or modified mesh mating conditions into the following two groups in the Simulation Navigator: Faces of Deleted MMCs and Faces of Modified MMCs. You can use these groups to:

• More easily locate and display the affected faces.

• Recreate the mesh mating conditions.

Managing mesh mating conditions in the Simulation Navigator

When you create a mesh mating condition, the software adds it to the Connection Meshes→Mesh Mating Conditions container in the Simulation Navigator. You can right-click the Mesh Mating Conditions container and use commands to delete, rename, and manage mesh mating conditions.

Update limitations

There may be some limitations to the software's ability to update a mesh mating condition after certain types of geometry modifications. For example, if you introduce a hole (or blend, chamfer, etc.) in the mated bodies that, in turn, modifies one or both mated faces. As a result, the information on the original faces that were subdivided is lost. In this case, the mesh mating condition may not update since the new subdivision creates new faces of which the existing mesh mating conditions has no knowledge.

Where do I find it?

Mesh Mating command

Application	Pre/Post
Prerequisite	A FEM file as the work part and displayed part
Command Finder	Mesh Mating

Show Mesh Mating Condition Status Log default

Menu	File→ Utilities → Customer Defaults
Location in dialog box	Pre/Post→ General→ FE Model Create tab

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Mesh mating conditions, Simcenter 3D 2021.1 Series

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