Hexahedral mesh generation of nuclear structures using intelligent local approach Original Research Article

This paper describes an automated mesh generation method named Intelligent Local Approach (ILA), which can control size and shape of hexahedral elements. A solid model created by a commercial solid modeler is first converted to quadrilateral surface patches. Second, considering local information on geometrical constraints, local connectivity of one to few hexahedral elements is determined step by step through some pattern matching tests with an element pattern database. Finally appropriate locations of new nodes are determined through a fuzzy knowledge processing technique. Fundamental performances of the present method are demonstrated through generating hexahedral meshes of some nuclear structures.