Meshing inside Thermal Desktop. Thermal Desktop is CAD based modeling software which inlcudes a built in mesher with capabilties to create free, extruded and revolved meshes.



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	Thermal Desktop

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	Mesher
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thermal desktop

Meshing Inside Thermal Desktop

Overview

C&R Technologies Thermal Desktop® users are familiar with Thermal Desktop solids and surfaces: objects with predefined shapes and mathematically defined curvature for accurate thermal radiation calculations. These surfaces and solids are excellent tools for building models quickly and they can be resized parametrically. There are times, however, when the thermal analyst must model geometry that cannot be easily or accurately represented by Thermal Desktop surfaces and solids. The user could import an external finite element mesh into Thermal Desktop, but the mesh resolution is then controlled outside of Thermal Desktop. TDMesh, a mesher built into Thermal Desktop, transfers mesh control to the thermal analyst within Thermal Desktop. TDMesh generates finite element meshes for 2D or 3D AutoCAD geometry. The geometry can be built within AutoCAD® or imported into AutoCAD.

Capabilities

Mesh Types

Free Mesh: A free mesh generates triangular elements on surface geometry and tetrahedral elements within solid geometry. With the free method, surface or solid geometry may be selected for meshing. If solid geometry is selected, the user has the choice between generating only surface elements, only solid elements, or both surface and solid elements.

3D free mesh of a plate with milled flow channels (showing part and mesh preview)
Click on image for larger view

Extruded Mesh: An extrusion mesh generates triangular elements on the selected surface geometry and then extrudes solid elements (prisms) normal to those elements and for the distance requested by the user. The user has the option of generating surface and/or solid elements. With Thermal Desktop’s parametric features, the analyst is able to change the length of extrusion using a symbol or expression, which allows extrusion length to be part of an optimization.

Extruded mesh with near end showing meshed surface
Click on image for larger view

Revolved Mesh: A revolution mesh generates triangular elements on a selected surface and revolves the solid elements about an axis of revolution. Again, the user can specify whether surface, solid, or both types of elements are generated. As with the extrusion mesh, the angle through which the revolution occurs can be parameterized.

Creation of a revolved mesh: outline of part section; mesh of part section; revolution of section mesh
Click on image for larger view

Mesh control

TDMesh generates a mesh controller that allows the user to preview the mesh before it is generated and to set and modify the mesh parameters. Basic mesh controls are available for controlling the mesh. A fractional or absolute size control adjusts the size of the elements while a turning angle control adjusts the resolution around curves. TDMesh automatically controls aspect ratios by adding elements as needed to provide well-formed elements.

$fractional size control$
Fractional size mesh control

turning angle control
Turning angle mesh control
Click on images for larger view

Thermal Model Control

The mesh controller allows the analyst to specify parameters for nodes, planar elements and solid elements. For nodes, the user may specify a submodel and initial temperature; for planar elements, the user may specify optical properties, radiation analysis groups, thermophysical properties, submodels, thickness, and insulation properties; for solid elements, the user may specify thermophysical properties and submodels.

The mesh controller can be edited at any time to modify mesh resolution or thermal model properties without losing other settings of the mesh or thermal model. In fact, some part geometries can be modified and the mesh updated to match the new part without losing the mesh or thermal model settings. While TDMesh has limitations when compared to dedicated meshers, the analyst can benefit greatly by performing the meshing within Thermal Desktop and assuming control over the thermal model mesh.

Moving from CAD to Mesh

The analyst can create geometry for meshing directly in AutoCAD or import a file from another CAD program. AutoCAD, with mechanical extensions, can import STEP and IGES formats and the resulting geometry can be the basis of the mesh. CRTech has had the best experience, however, with imported ACIS (version 7) files that can be imported using any AutoCAD version that works with Thermal Desktop. Analysts may benefit from using Autodesk Inventor® (supplied with AutoCAD licenses purchased through C&R Technologies) or another tool to import, heal, and simplify the geometry before exporting to an ACIS format for subsequent import into Thermal Desktop. Autodesk Inventor can directly read Pro/Engineer® and SolidWorks® files.

Meshing User's Manual

CRTech has created a guide for creating, importing, simplifying, and meshing CAD geometry. The guide installed with Thermal Desktop and can be accessed through Windows Start menu as User’s Manual – Meshing.

Thermal Solutions

C&R Technologies has included the AMG-CG solution method in SINDA/FLUINT. This method shows its true strengths when used to solve large models, such as those generated using a mesher.

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PTC, and Pro/Engineer®, are trademarks or registered trademarks of Parametric Technology Corporation or its subsidiaries in the U.S. and in other countries.

SolidWorks® is a registered trademark of Dassault Systèmes SolidWorks Corp.

Autodesk, AutoCAD, and Autodesk Inventor are registered trademarks or trademarks of Autodesk, Inc., and/or its subsidiaries and/or affiliates in the USA and/or other countries. All other brand names, product names, or trademarks belong to their respective holders.