Merlin offers more CAD-to-FEA meshing options

Algor Inc. (Pittsburgh, PA) has extended Merlin's CAD-to-FEA solid model meshing capabilities. A key component of the company's 3D solid mesh engine, Merlin Meshing Technology (MMT) now preserves more surface information of a solid model from one mesh refinement iteration to the next. FEA properties and boundary conditions can also be transferred between MMT iterations without re-entry. CAD drawings can easily be converted to FEA models with MMT's improved ability to handle IGES trimmed-surface file information. Once in FEA mode, the models may be incorporated into Mechanical Event Simulation for virtual prototyping.

"Merlin is the key to eventually achieving high quality meshing," says Michael Bussler, president of Algor. Merlin builds a 3D mesh using three design choices: all- brick or solid-hexahedral elements, tetrahedral, or hybrid, which combines bricks on the surface and tetrahedrons on the inside.

Analyzing with bricks on the surface means more accurate analysis, says Bussler, because this is where the tension is the greatest. Algor generates the mesh from the surface in. Other programs generate from the surface out. This means a more accurate analysis in less time.