Morphing a revolved mesh

Mesh morphing is a process for updating an existing mesh to conform to geometry modifications without regenerating the entire mesh. When you morph a mesh, the software tries to keep the overall mesh topology constant. Use the Morph Revolved Mesh command to conform an orphan, revolved mesh to a slightly different revolved surface that you define with a profile curve. During the morphing process, the software moves the nodes in the existing mesh along all three coordinates (R, theta, and Z) in a cylindrical coordinate system.

Existing axisymmetric mesh of 2D elements, and a new profile curve.	Mesh morphed onto the surface described by the profile curve using the Morph Revolved Mesh command.

To morph a revolved mesh, you must specify:

• The set of elements to morph.

• The target curve that, if revolved through space, would describe a new surface.

• The source nodes that the software needs to move both axially and radially to lie on the profile curve.

• Optionally, the nodes along the axial direction to fix in their current position. This allows you to constrain a portion of the mesh (a radial zone within the revolved mesh) from moving during the morphing operation.

During the morphing process, the software first moves the source nodes to locations on the profile curve. The software uses the distance that these source nodes move to interpolate how to move all other nodes in the mesh to the imaginary revolved surface described by the profile curve.

Selecting the elements to morph

Use the Select Elements option to specify the elements to morph onto the imaginary surface described by the profile curve. The elements that you select should:

• Be defined around an axis.

• Not be associated with any underlying geometry.

Note:

During morphing, the software also moves nodes in any meshes that are connected to the selected set of elements. The software moves these nodes proportionally to how it moves the nodes on the selected elements. If you want to preserve the shapes of the elements in any connected meshes, use the Select Elements option to also select those meshes.

Selecting the target curve

Use the Define Target Curve options to specify the target curve. This curve represents the profile of the new surface that would be created if the software revolved this curve around the same axis of revolution as the current revolved mesh.

To specify the target curve, you can either select:

• An existing edge, curve, or series of edges or curves.

• Two points that define a new curve.

Selecting the source nodes

Use the Source Nodes option to define the row of nodes in the original mesh that you want to map to the target curve. Typically, the source nodes are the nodes that most closely follow the contours of the new profile curve. Additionally:

• You must select at least two different source nodes.

• The source nodes should lie approximately along the Z-direction (the axial direction) for the software to produce the revolved morphed mesh.

You can then use the Node to Point Mapping options to map each source node to a point along the profile curve. The software uses temporary graphics to help you differentiate between the selected items.

The Node to Point Mapping process is optional. For example, you may want to map the source nodes to points on the target curve if the target curve contains more than two vertices. Explicitly mapping selected nodes to locations on the target curve helps ensure that the software appropriately positions the nodes along the target curve.

Designating optional fixed nodes

If a region in the part must not move during the morphing process, you can define a fixed region. During morphing, the software does not allow the nodes and elements that lie in this region to move.

Use the Fixed Nodes option to select nodes that define the radius of the fixed region. The fixed region includes all the nodes and elements that lie on and inside the surface that would be created if the software revolved the radius around the axis of revolution.

• You must select at least two different fixed nodes to define the radius of the fixed region.

• The radius of the fixed region should be smaller than the radius defined by the source nodes.

The following graphics show how you can use the Fixed Nodes option to fix the location of a portion of a mesh during morphing.

• The example part is comprised of three different meshes: the outer-and inner-ring meshes that are connected by the fin-shaped mesh.

• The outer-ring mesh needs to morph onto a new surface described by the profile curve.

• The three meshes are connected, so the fin-shaped and inner ring meshes need to morph as well.

• One region in the inner-ring mesh needs to remain fixed to its original location.

The original meshes and new profile curve prior to morphing.	The two highlighted nodes define the radius of the zone in the inner-ring mesh to fix in its original location.Note: The fin-shaped mesh is hidden for better visibility of the inner-ring mesh.	The three meshes after the morphing process. Notice how the outer-ring and fin-shaped meshes change during the morphing process. For example, the fin-shaped mesh has stretched. In contrast, the fixed region of the inner-ring mesh remains in its original location.

Identifying mesh quality issues

The software evaluates the quality of the selected elements during the morphing process. The software issues a message if it detects that any of the selected elements will fail standard element quality checks when they are moved to the new surface. If the software detects quality issues, you can:

• Cancel the morphing operation.

• Proceed with the morphing. The software outlines any elements that fail the quality checks in red and places them in an output group in the Simulation Navigator. For example, you can try to use manual meshing commands, such as Node Drag, to fix the quality issues.

Where do I find it?

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

Learn more

Morphing a mesh

Automatically morphing a mesh

Manually morphing a mesh

Comparing the manual morphing node distribution methods

Node and element association during morphing

Manually associating nodes to geometry

Quick links

Command reference

Pre/Post video examples

Bulk Entry Descriptions

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Morphing a revolved mesh, Simcenter 3D 2021.1 Series

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