Validating the Mesh in ITEM

Advancements in the mesh generation algorithms have significantly reduced the amount of quality problems seen in the initially generated mesh. Further, ITEM generally relies on the most robust meshing algorithms available in Coreform Cubit, specifically sweeping for hexahedral mesh generation (Scott,05) and the 3D Precise Mesh meshing software (See https://www.spatial.com/products/3d-precise-mesh) (George,91). However, some problems can still exist, and therefore ITEM has integrated quality diagnostics and solution options.

Diagnostics: After the mesh has been generated, the user may choose to perform element quality checks. ITEM utilizes the Verdict (Stimpson,07) library where a large number of mesh quality metrics have been defined and available as a modular library. If no user preference is specified, ITEM uses the Scaled Jacobian distortion metric to determine element quality. This check will warn users of any elements that are below a default or user-specified threshold, allowing various visualization options for displaying element quality.

Solutions: If the current element quality is unacceptable, ITEM will present several possible mesh improvement solutions. The most promising solutions are provided through ITEM's interface to two smoothers: mean ratio optimization and Laplacian smoothing. These are provided as part of the Mesquite (Brewer,03) mesh quality improvement tool built within Coreform Cubit. The user has the option of performing these improvements on the entire mesh, subsets of the mesh defined by the element quality groups, or on individual elements. The Laplacian smoothing scheme allows the users to smooth just the interior nodes or to simultaneously smooth both the interior and boundary nodes in an attempt to improve surface element quality.