Research paper
Improving mesh generation in finite element analysis for functional morphology approaches
JORDI MARCÉ-NOGUÉ
Departament de Resistència de Material i Estructures a l’Enginyeria, Escola Tècnica Superior d’Enginyeria Industrial i Aeronàutica de Terrassa, Univeristat Politècnica de Catalunya, C/Coolon 11, 08222 Terrassa, Barcelona, Spain. jordi.marce@upc.edu Institut Català de Paleontologia, Edifici ICP, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cedanyola del Vallès, Spain.
Corresponding author
JOSEP FORTUNY
Institut Català de Paleontologia, Edifici ICP, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cedanyola del Vallès, Spain. jose.fortuny@icp.cat Departament de Resistència de Material i Estructures a l’Enginyeria, Escola Tècnica Superior d’Enginyeria Industrial i Aeronàutica de Terrassa, Univeristat Politècnica de Catalunya, C/Colon 11, 08222 Terrassa, Barcelona, Spain.
LLUÍS GIL
Departament de Resistència de Material i Estructures a l’Enginyeria, Escola Tècnica Superior d’Enginyeria Industrial i Aeronàutica de Terrassa, Univeristat Politècnica de Catalunya, C/Colon 11, 08222 Terrassa, Barcelona, Spain. lluis.gil@upc.edu
MONTSERRAT SÁNCHEZ
Departament de Resistència de Material i Estructures a l’Enginyeria, Escola Tècnica Superior d’Enginyeria Industrial i Aeronàutica de Terrassa, Univeristat Politècnica de Catalunya, C/Colon 11, 08222 Terrassa, Barcelona, Spain.montserrat.sanchez@upc.edu
ABSTRACT
Finite Element Analysis (FEA) is a powerful tool for functional morphology purposes. The accuracy of the final results depends on the mesh generation and the quality of the mesh. This is especially important in vertebrates as they present a complex biological structure, implying a complex geometry and, consequently, mesh generation should be performed with a consistent criterion. The aim of this paper is to discuss different ways to create a mesh of a vertebrate structure with different mesh generation methods and give recommendations on how to generate an efficient mesh without exceeding computational limits. Topics such as quality of the mesh, suitability of the mesh and reliability of the mesh are introduced to help the generation of the mesh. In this case, the use of convergence procedures assures the results of a computational solution and can be a good solution for the vertebrate models. The skull of a Chinese giant salamander (Andrias davidiamus) is used as a case study.
Keywords: Finite Element Method, computational analysis, mesh generation, vertebrate palaeontology, functional morphology.
How to cite: Marcé-Nogué, J., Fortuny, J., Gil, L. &Sánchez, M. 2015. Improving mesh generation in finite element analysis for functional morphology approaches. Spanish Journal of Palaeontology, 30 (1), 117-132.
Received 21 May 2013, Accepted 14 October 2013, Published 30 June 2015
https://doi.org/10.7203/sjp.30.1.17227
