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Merge solids together, with respect to boundaries.

Daniil_22069

Hello everyone!
Can't find a solution of this problem for a couple of days, will be glad to get any help from you.

Here's the problem:
I have two imported (.stp files) solids made by Boolean operation (blue cubic with holes and pink inclusions to this holes). Those solids perfectly fit each other but they are not connected.
I need to connect those bodies and get ONE solid body with those inclusions inside.
So the main point in the end is to export this final solid to Abaqus and to be able to choose blue cubic and pink inclusions as sections in the final solid body.

Couldn't solve this problem through Boolean operation, because Boolean operation doesn't allow to have pink inclusions inside of the model.

Thank you!

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QuyNguyenDai

If you can not do what you want with solids, try then with surfaces? (by extracting surfaces from solids)

Daniil_22069

Q.Nguyen-Dai
Thanks for attention. I noticed your answer to the similar problem as well (https://community.altair.com/community?id=community_question&sys_id=9376083a1b2bd0908017dc61ec4bcbd2)

I'm working on the surface approach at this moment. So far I transfered those solids to surfaces and used 'Trim with Surfaces' tool, it seems connected after that, next I use 'Create Solid'->'Bounding Surfaces' and it seems as what I need (1st picture) BUT after 'Meshing'->'Tetra Mesh'->'All' I get just pink area meshed (2nd picture).

My final point is solid Orphan Mesh in Abaqus with 2 sets - 'blue cube' and 'pink inclusions'.
Thank you!

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QuyNguyenDai

For TET meshing, you can work directly with surfaces, not need to create solid.

Daniil_22069

Q.Nguyen-Dai
I tried TET directly with surfaces meshing after your advice. It makes 2D mesh but I need 3D mesh to operate with it in Abaqus.

At this moment I'm trying to play with surfaces, it's easy to operate with, I suppose that's right direction.

After 'Trim' and 'Organize' operations I got the best result so far (on the picture).

But I want to mesh it up as a solid, still haven't found suitable tool for that.
I use 'Tetra mesh' tool, should I use different mesh tool or is there any geometry problem?

Also I attached two files of this problem, might be it can help to solve the problem somehow.

Thank you!

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>

Unable to find an attachment - read this blog

QuyNguyenDai

From '^2D_Inclusions_1' and '^2D_Inclusions_2' => create solid Tet mesh:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>

From '^2D_Inclusions_2' + '^2D_Cubic' => create solid Tet mesh

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>

If everything goes well, you get two solid mesh.

Here's the model:

HTH,

Unable to find an attachment - read this blog

Daniil_22069

Q.Nguyen-Dai
Appreciate your help.
I haven't tried this approach before.

I tried this solution so the first part works perfectly - I got 3D mesh for inclusions. But in the second step when I'm trying to mesh '2D_Cubic' and '2D_inclusions_2' I got an error - 'The mesh is not enclosed'.
Then through tools->edges I have found 4 free edges.
Am I doing anything wrong? Could you help me to solve this problem?

Also I wanted to ask you about the previous post. I tried to do same mesh for cubic and intersections as your 2D meshes.
So there is opposite problem - it's easy to mesh cubic as a surface but I couldn't mesh intersections. Did you use tetramesh->volume tetra->surfs->mesh ?

QuyNguyenDai

In this case, you can correct the mesh manually to close the surface meshing by doing equivalent of nodes or modifying some elements.

Daniil_22069

@Q.Nguyen-Dai Thanks for your help!
I'm finally got the result that I need.

I closed the mesh through the 'split' operation.
And attached sets for Abaqus through 'property' option.

Everything works well,
I have one last question - could you please show how you did the 2D mesh?
Here's my try below, after meshing I got 2D cube but I need to mesh the intersections' surface as you did.

I'm sorry for taking so much time but really want to understand that part.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>

Daniil_22069

@Q.Nguyen-Dai
I'm sorry for asking again.

But could you please show how did you do the 2D mesh in your previous post?

I want to show all the process to other students but can't perform this particular operation.
Thank you!

QuyNguyenDai

Just select surfaces and create 2D mesh on it (F12)