Panel Mesh (CAERO1)

A modified Tcl based graphical user interface developed based on customer feedback for the previously supported GUI with 4-point selection for a quick definition of the CAERO1 panel.

Restriction: Only available in the Aerospace-Nastran (MSC) user profile in Engineering Solutions.

From the menu bar, click Aerospace > Aeroelasticity > Panel Mesh (CAERO1).

This tool has the following functionalities:
  • Define your own ID and name by overriding the default values.
  • The image icon has more information about the numbering system and the pattern to be followed while meshing CAERO1. For example, the start node and the element ID should be the same as the component ID. The numbering should be sequentially incremented in the chord direction and continued in the span direction.
  • Define the Flow Direction.
  • The mesh control can be defined by selecting tables (AEFACT tables) for chord and/or span. You can select the number of chord or span elements. Chord is the direction along flow (point 1 and point 2), and span is the direction along point 1-4.
  • There is an option to select Point 1 (origin). Location information is extracted from the selected point/node, and the same can be modified by editing the text field.
  • For edge length 1-2 and 3-4, there is an option to select the location by node or point. The selected location information is used to calculate edge length only.
  • Point 4 is used to find the spanning direction and spanning length 1-4.
  • After you select all of the necessary data, clicking Create Mesh will mesh the selected domain with AEGRID nodes and AEQUAD4 elements. Per solver requirements, nodes and elements are not explicitly exported into BDF, but other references such as SPLINE, AEGRID and AESURF will have their reference.

Bias meshing is supported, which is selected as table of data from AEFACT entities. AEFACT data needs to be pre-created and selected in the user interface. Biasing can be in only one or both directions.