Generalizing the advancing front method to composite surfaces in the context of meshing constraints topology

Gilles Foucault (1) , Jean-Christophe Cuillière (2) , Vincent François (3) , Jean-Claude Léon (4) , Roland Maranzana (5)

1 G-SCOP_SIREP - Système d’Information, conception RobustE des Produits
2 Département de Génie Mécanique
3 GEGI - Département de Génie Electrique et Génie Informatique [UQTR]
4 IMAGINE - Intuitive Modeling and Animation for Interactive Graphics & Narrative Environments
5 LIPPS - Laboratoire d'ingénierie des produits, procédés et systèmes [Québec]

Being able to automatically mesh composite geometry is an important issue in the context of CAD-FEA integration. In some specific contexts of this integration, such as using virtual topology or meshing constraints topology (MCT), it is even a key requirement. In this paper, we present a new approach to automatic mesh generation over composite geometry. The proposed mesh generation approach is based on a generalization of the advancing front method (AFM) over curved surfaces. The adaptation of the AFM to composite faces (composed of multiple boundary representation (B-Rep) faces) involves the computation of complex paths along these B-Rep faces, on which progression of the advancing front is based. Each mesh segment or mesh triangle generated through this progression on composite geometry is likely to lie on multiple B-Rep faces and consequently, it is likely to be associated with a composite definition across multiple parametric spaces. Collision tests between new front segments and existing mesh elements also require specific and significant adaptations of the AFM, since a given front segment is also likely to lie on multiple B-Rep faces. This new mesh generation approach is presented in the context of MCT, which requires being able to handle composite geometry along with non-manifold boundary configurations, such as edges and vertices lying in the interior domain of B-Rep faces.

Mots clés: Advancing front; Mesh generation; Mesh adaptation; Composite geometry; Virtual topology; Defeaturing; Shape

Domaines: Génie mécanique [physics.class-ph]; Génie mécanique [physics.class-ph]

Gilles Foucault, Jean-Christophe Cuillière, Vincent François, Jean-Claude Léon, Roland Maranzana. Generalizing the advancing front method to composite surfaces in the context of meshing constraints topology. Computer-Aided Design, 2013, 45 (11), pp.1408-1425. ⟨10.1016/j.cad.2013.05.009⟩. ⟨hal-00849780⟩