Meshes

Author: Jonathan Hargreaves

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The mesh is a representation of a domain by unstructured elements and how the mesh is set up is a major factor in how accurate a simulation will be.

• Element size: smaller elements result in greater accuracy, at the expense of increased computational cost. The process of reducing the element size to increase accuracy is called “h-refinement” (see Figure below).

Fig. 14 h-refinement. Image produced by: COMSOL.

Mesh generation is an art in itself. Commercial CA software usually include proprietary mesh generation routines, whereas open-source solvers typically don’t. Here are some open-source meshing solutions you might like to explore:

• Gmsh: A three-dimensional finite element mesh generator with built-in pre- and post-processing facilities

• MeshLab: An open source system for processing and editing 3D triangular meshes

• Salome MESH: the mesh module of the SALOME open source platform for numerical simulation