Cylinder mesh controls

Use the Cylinder type of Mesh Control to create a structured mesh of elements along the length of a cylindrical surface. You can create Cylinder type mesh controls to ensure that the software produces more uniform, regular elements along cylindrical surfaces in your model prior to 2D or 3D meshing.

Selecting cylinders for mesh control creation

There are several different ways to select cylindrical surfaces on which to create a Mesh Control. You can:

• Interactively select the surfaces within the part from the graphics window.

• Use the Cylinder Faces option on the Top Border bar, together with specific criteria in the Smart Selector Options dialog box to select cylindrical surfaces.

• Use the Faces by Group option on the Top Border bar to select cylindrical surfaces in an existing group.

• Use the Filter option in the Mesh Control dialog box, together with Cylinder Selection Parameters that you specify, such as the maximum and minimum radii.

You can use the Preview Cylinders option to view the cylinders that the software identifies based on your specified criteria, as shown in the graphic below.

Note:

If you use the Filter option, the software continues to evaluate the selected target geometry during meshing. In some cases, the automatic abstraction process that occurs during meshing can result in either additional or fewer cylindrical surfaces that meet the defined criteria for the mesh control.

Defining the mesh parameters for cylindrical surfaces

A Cylinder mesh control helps you control the distribution of elements around a cylinder's circumference (1) and along its axis (2).

Use the Along Axis options to control the size of the elements along the axis (length) of the cylinder:

• If you select By Size, you specify the element size to use along the length of the cylinder.

• If you select By Number, you specify the number of elements to create the length of the cylinder.

• If you select None, the software uses the overall element size for the 2D or 3D mesh as the element size along the length of the cylinder.

Use the On Circumference options to control the size of the elements around the circumference of the cylinder.

• If you select By Size, you specify the element size to use around the circumference of the cylinder.

• If you select By Angle, you specify the number of elements to create for every 90º segment of the cylinder.

• If you select None, the software uses the overall element size for the 2D or 3D mesh as the element size around the circumference of the cylinder.

Using the Freeze Geometry option

Use the Freeze Geometry check box to ensure that the software preserves the boundaries of the selected cylinders during meshing. If the software needs to perform any pinching or merging of edges during the geometry abstraction phase of meshing, this option ensures that the software abstracts the geometry in the direction away from the cylinder. While you can always use the separate Freeze Geometry command to prevent the software from performing abstraction in selected regions, this option allows you to prevent geometry abstraction along the cylinder from within the Mesh Control dialog box.

Using the Aspect Ratio setting

Use the Aspect Ratio option to specify a maximum aspect ratio value. The aspect ratio measures the ratio of an element's length to its width. If a mesh control causes the software to produce an element that violates the specified Aspect Ratio value, then the software reduces the element sizes in the mesh control.

Understanding when the software honors a Cylinder mesh control

The software tries to honor the specifications of a Cylinder type of mesh control when you generate a quadrilateral or triangular 2D mesh on a cylindrical surface and do not select the CAD Curvature Abstraction check box. The software generates elements based on the element size or number of elements and the Aspect Ratio that you specify as long as these values do not conflict. If they do conflict, the software may modify the element size or number of elements along the cylinder's circumference or height.

Note:

The software tries to honor Cylinder mesh control specifications during 3D tetrahedral meshing or during 2D meshing when the CAD Curvature Abstraction check box is selected, however it may not be able to generate the elements as specified in all cases.

Managing cylinder mesh controls from the Simulation Navigator

After you create a Cylinder type of Mesh Control, the software stores the information as a new Cylinder Density entry in the Mesh Controls node in the Simulation Navigator. You can use right-click menu options to modify, delete, rename, or list information on a selected cylinder density.

Where do I find it?

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

Learn more

Controlling local mesh density (Mesh Controls)

Mesh control definitions

Number and Size on Edge mesh controls

Chordal Tolerance on Edge mesh controls

Biasing on Edge mesh controls

Size on Face mesh controls

Weld Row mesh controls

Mapped Hole mesh controls

Fillet mesh controls

Point mesh controls

Bounding volume mesh controls

Quick links

Command reference

Pre/Post video examples

Bulk Entry Descriptions

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Cylinder mesh controls, Simcenter 3D 2021.1 Series

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