For a large set of CFD problems, the quality of the results in boundary layer regions is essential. Modeling engineers go out great lengths to produce smooth boundary layer meshes. This type of mesh is very complex to obtain for 3D complex domains (i.e. the presented model can have regions with intersecting different boundary layers). An automated procedure to generated graded smooth meshes based on an initial uniform mesh. The procedure is based on a procedure to obtain the refinement pattern for each element in the analysed boundary layer. Therefore, the method is essentially an adaptive technique applied to mesh generation.

The “directional” refinement (hadaptivity type) here proposed is implemented into PZ EnvironmentDevloo et al. (2004). The proposed approach is based on the identification of the ribs that need to be divided. The process to obtain the boundary layer mesh consists on the following steps: identify the set of elements that are neighbors of the boundary layer; for each identified element define the ribs that needs to be divided (the set of ribs to divide consists on the set of the ribs that contains the boundary layer but is not contained by a boundary layer); with the identified ribs propose a consistent refinement pattern; insert the refinement pattern in mesh database and call the element division using this refinement pattern.