Abstract

In industrial settings engineers often employ a highly decoupled design-through-analysis workflow. Geometry models are first created with Computer-Aided Design (CAD) software and then discretised with a boundary-conforming mesh for finite element analysis (FEA). This cumbersome multi-step procedure is costly, error-prone and obstructs an iterative design process. This talk will introduce an immersed boundary finite element technique that is based on non-boundary fitting structured grids. Generalised distance fields are used for both describing the geometry and enforcing the boundary conditions; complex mesh generation is thus avoided and seamless integration of CAD and FEA becomes possible. Additional advantages with respect to conventional methods include, for instance, robust handling of poor quality CAD input, filtering of overly resolved geometric details and a built-in ability to efficiently manipulate geometry using Boolean set operations.