Automatic element size calculation in quadrilateral finite element models of structural engineering objects

Finite element mesh generators need varieties of input data parameters in order to generate meshes in accordance with user requirements. One of such parameters is a desirable step size, to be set individually on each boundary entity. That parameter directly influences the actual elements’ sizes in the vicinity of the boundary. Since a to-be-meshed geometrical domain may contain dozens and hundreds of entities (both boundary and internal), it is highly desirable to set those parameter values automatically, with two goals to be pursued: step sizes must be small enough to make the mesh generation feasible, and at the same time large enough to minimize the final number of elements as much as possible. A similar problem arises around refinement points, where concentrated forces or mechanical constraints are applied. This paper provides detailed description of developed powerful algorithms delivering solutions of those problems in 2D structural engineering models.