Edge Recovery Method on an Existing Surface Mesh for Boundary Layer Meshing

2nd Symposium on Trends in Unstructured Mesh Generation, University of Colorado, Boulder, August 1999

MESHING
RESEARCH
CORNER

Scientific Computation Research Center, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY 12180 USA
kaan@scorec.rpi.edu

Abstract
This study describes an algorithm for recovering an edge which is arbitrarily inserted onto a pre-triangulated surface mesh. The recovery process does not rely on the parametric space of the surface provided by the geometric modeler. The topological and geometrical validity of the surface mesh is preserved through the entire recovery process. The ability of inserting and recovering an arbitrary edge onto a surface mesh is used for boundary layer mesh generation[1]. The coupling of edge recovery and boundary layer construction process is explained. The edge recovery algorithm utilizes local surface mesh modification operations of edge swapping, collapsing and splitting. The mesh modification operations are decided by the results of pure geometrical checks such as point and line projections onto faces and face-line intersections. The accuracy of these checks on the recovery process are investigated and the substantiated precautions are devised and discussed in this study. The boundary layer mesh generation utilizing the edge recovery algorithm is demonstrated over a set of complex surface triangulations.

References:

[1]. Rao V. Garimella, Ph.D. Thesis: Anisotropic Tetrahedral Mesh Generation, Dept. of ME and Ae. Eng. and Mechanics, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY 12180 USA.