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Delaunay refinement mesh generation of curve-bounded domains

University of British Columbia

Delaunay refinement is a mesh generation paradigm noted for offering theoretical guarantees regarding the quality of its output. As such, the meshes it produces are a good choice for numerical methods. This thesis studies the practical application of Delaunay refinement mesh generation to geometric domains whose boundaries are curved, in both two and three dimensions. It is subdivided into three manuscripts, each of them addressing a specific problem or a previous limitation of the method. The first manuscript is concerned with the problem in two dimensions. It proposes a technique to sample the boundary with the objective of improving its recoverability. The treatment of small input angles is also improved. The quality guarantees offered by previous algorithms are shown to apply in the presence of curves. The second manuscript presents an algorithm to construct constrained Delaunay tetrahedralizations of domains bounded by piecewise smooth surfaces. The boundary conforming meshes thus obtained are typically coarser than those output by other algorithms. These meshes are a perfect starting point for the experimental study presented in the final manuscript. Therein, Delaunay refinement is shown to eliminate slivers when run using non-standard quality measures, albeit without termination guarantees. The combined results of the last two manuscripts are a major stepping stone towards combining Delaunay refinement mesh generation with CAD modelers. Some algorithms presented in this thesis have already found application in high-order finite-volume methods. These algorithms have the potential to dramatically reduce the computational time needed for numerical simulations.

Thesis/Dissertation

application/pdf

2009-10-09

Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International

http://hdl.handle.net/2429/13855

Mechanical Engineering

University of British Columbia

UBCV

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/