19 / 9 / 2025
3 Mins Tutorial: FEA Mesh Independence Test in nTop
Introduction
This tutorial demonstrates how to perform mesh independence verification in FEA using a parametric approach, where only a few mesh parameters need to be adjusted to automatically generate meshes and run analyses, ensuring accuracy while significantly improving efficiency.
Modeling
Solid
Mesh
Step 1: Open the Chop Mesh function
Expand the Connector component in the toolbar.Locate the ChopMesh icon under this component and click it to activate.
ChopMesh Component Functions
Boday: Drag the Implicit Body geometry into this field to define the target volume for meshing.
number of nx: Defines how many divisions the model is split into along the x-axis; a larger value gives finer mesh, and it must exceed the minimum feature thickness.
refinement level: Specifies the Level of refinement, which controls the number of refinement layers—the higher the value, the finer the mesh.
Mesh Generation Settings
Boundary Condition
When defining the boundary conditions of an FE Mesh, there are multiple ways to select boundaries. Three commonly used methods are:
How to select boundaries of an FE Mesh - FE Boundary by Flood Fill
How to select boundaries using Boundary by Boday
How to create CFD Boundaries
These links provide detailed step-bystep instructions for selecting mesh boundaries, which can then assigned to appropriate vondary conditions.
Force
FEA
In this tutorial, the simulation is performed using the built-in Static Analysis module in nTop, with detailed steps available in “How to run a static analysis”.
The parameters configured for this simulation are listed below.
Results
With the above steps completed, the FEA analysis workflow has been fully established. For mesh independence verification, it is sufficient to adjust only two mesh parameters, enabling automatic meshing and analysis, thereby saving significant time.
The following presents the automatically computed results obtained under different mesh parameter settings.
Displacement
Strain
Stress
75 - 1
Displacement
Strain
Stress
75 - 2
Displacement
Strain
Stress
100 - 2
