Best Practices Workshop:
Overset Meshing
Overview
Introduction to Overset Meshes
Range of Application
Workflow
Demonstrations and Best Practices
What are Overset Meshes?
Overset meshes are also known as Chimera or overlapping
meshes
– An overset mesh typically containing a body of interest such as a
boat or a gear is superimposed on a background mesh containing
the surrounding geometry and data is interpolated between the two
– This approach allows complex motion and moving parts to be easily
set up and simulated
What are Overset Meshes?
A paradigm shift in engineering simulation
Overset meshes cuts down the entire analysis workflow
Opens up a range of new applications
– Simulate bodies with extreme ranges of motion
– Parametric design studies
Industrial Applications: Aerospace
Industrial Applications: Automotive
Industrial Applications: Manufacturing
Industrial Applications: Spray Coating
Industrial Applications: Gears
Multiple Overlapping Overset Meshes
Industrial Applications: Marine
How it Works
The cells from the two meshes are sorted into four types:
– Active Cells
• Discretizing governing equations are solved
– Passive Cells
• No equations are solved
– Acceptor and Donor Cells at the overset boundary and the
background mesh
• The link between the two meshes
Active cells
Acceptor cells
Active cells
Acceptor cells
The Overset Mesh Workflow
1. Two regions are created: A background region
containing the far-field flow domain, and a separate
region surrounding the body of interest (overset
body)
2. Both regions are meshed separately – There will be
a zone where cells from both regions overlap each
other in the same space
3. The outer boundary of the overset body is set to
“Overset Mesh”, and an “Overset Mesh Interface” is
created between the two regions
4. As the overset body moves within the background
region, the overlapping zone will change
5. Information is passed between the two regions
through the overlapping cells
Demonstration 1: Cars
Simulation of an overtaking maneuver
Results
Demonstration 2: Ball Valve
Simulation of a ball valve
Appropriate Meshing
– Dealing with close proximity
Results
Overset Mesher Tips
Turn on Per-Region Meshing to create multiple meshes in the same
space
– Alternatively place the overset region outside background region then move it
into place prior to running
Overset regions can be copied after meshing.
– Create multiple instances of one body, but only a single mesh generation
Keep cell sizes similar between regions at the interface
– Interpolation error should be in same order as discretization error for
convective and diffusive flux
– Coarser mesh determines error level
Minimum of 4 cell layers between bodies and overset boundaries
– Therefore 8 cells between wall boundaries in multiple overlapping regions
– Close proximity option
Overset region walls can not exit the background mesh
– Turn off flow solvers in prescribed motion cases to quickly check motion for
possible geometry clashes
Overset Mesher Tips
The time step should be set so that the overset mesh does not move in
the overlapping zone within one time step more than:
– The smallest cell in this zone when 1st-order Euler scheme for time
integration is used
– Half the smallest cell size in this zone when the 2nd-order implicit time
integration scheme is used
If a cell switches straight from being a passive cell to an active cell,
there will be no “old” values at that cell, and no rate-of-change terms
can be computed
Ensure an appropriate interpolation
scheme is used
– Linear is the most accurate but more
computationally expensive
Place the overset interface
appropriately
– Preferably where variation is less
Overset Mesher: Visualization
Use the Overset representation
to show both meshes
Use the Volume mesh
representation to only show the
active cells
STAR-CCM+ v8.06 Limitations
Incompatible Models:
– DEM
– Windshield film models
– S2S Radiation
– Solid Stress
– Grid Sequencing
Limitations:
– Mass conservation is not strictly imposed at the
interface
• Error in the order of 0.1% or less (i.e. solution not
affected to 3 or 4 significant figures)
• In incompressible flows enclosed by walls you may
enable a source term (do not use in other cases).
– Fluid film shell regions must not contact an
interface or be adjacent to non-active cells
Summary
Overset mesh opens up a range of new applications making previously
difficult or impossible simulations involving the motion of complex
geometries easy to carry out
Overset meshes are also very suited to many other uses:
– Parametric studies
– Replicating features
