Finite element mesh generation over curved surfaces

Abstract

A general program is developed to generate finite element mesh over curved surfaces. The domain to be triangulated can be any combination of the five elementary surfaces-spatial plane, cylinder, cone, sphere and surface of revolution. For developing surfaces, discretization into finite elements can be done on a plane which are then put into place by suitable transformations. As for spherical surfaces and surfaces of revolution, mesh generation is done directly in space. The efficiency and capability of the program owes a lot to its possibility of combining irregular parts of these basic surface types almost in any order, forms and orientations. Surfaces of arbitrary forms can also be triangulated and matched to other surface parts. Special attention has been paid to the data structure, particularly in the definition and coordination of different surface types. © 1988.