Influence of mesh density on a finite element model’s response under dynamic loading
Sébastien Roth,1, * Jennifer Oudry,2 Marwan El Rich3 and Hossein Shakourzadeh3
1 Université de Technologie de Belfort-Montbéliard UTBM, Laboratoire M3M, 90010 BELFORT Cedex, France
2 Echosens, Research and Development Department, 153 avenue d’Italie, 75013 PARIS, France
3 Altair Engineering France, 2 rue de la Renaissance, 92184 ANTONY Cedex, France
This paper investigates the influence of mesh density of two-dimensional and three-dimensional finite element models (FE) on elastic wave propagation. These models with their elastic material properties were generated using different mesh sizes and were subjected to a dynamic sinusoidal vibration, in order to investigate the mesh density dependence of a FE model under dynamic loading, such as in crash biomechanics where propagating waves are generated in biological soft tissues. Responses in terms of wave propagation, shear stress and longitudinal displacement and velocity induced by propagation of the elastic waves were studied. Results showed that mesh size has a great influence on the propagation of shear waves and on the maximum shear stress. The need for a specific mesh size, depending on shear wavelength, to ensure an accurate FE model was demonstrated. The results are in agreement with previous studies analysing two-dimensional meshing.
Keywords: dynamic load, finite element analysis, meshing size, shear wave