On Anisotropic Mesh Generation and Quality Control in Complex Flow Problems

Proceedings, 10th International Meshing Roundtable, Sandia National Laboratories, pp.341-349, October 7-10 2001

MESHING
RESEARCH
CORNER

10th International Meshing Roundtable
Newport Beach, California, U.S.A.
October 7-10, 2001

K.E. Jansen and M.S. Shephard
Scientific Computation Research Center,
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute,
Troy, NY 12810
Email: kjansen@scorec.rpi.edu, shephard@scorec.rpi.edu

M.W. Beall
Simmetrix, Inc.,
Troy, NY 12180,
Email: mbeall@simmetrix.com

Abstract
This paper considers issues associated with the construction and application of anisotropic meshes. Consideration is first given to the meshing requirements associated with the transient solution of turbulent flow problems discretized using a stabilized finite element method. This study indicates the key importance of controlling the smoothness of mesh gradations on transient problems and demonstrates that in the presence of strongly anisotropic gradients the issue of what constitutes an unacceptably large dihe- dral angle does not follow the conventional thinking associated with meshes for problems with isotropic gradients. Progress on the development of mesh generation tools to provide the types of anisotropic meshes needed for these classes of ptoblems and their application to a turbulent flow problem is also given.

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