Collapsing short edges of a linear orphan mesh

Select MeshEdit from the main menu bar to collapse selected edges of a linear orphan mesh. You can specify the minimum length of the edges of elements that should be collapsed, and Abaqus/CAE will merge the end nodes of element edges that are shorter than the specified length. You can specify an element domain other than the entire mesh, and you can specify a direction and/or reference edge to collapse only those edges that match these criteria. You can collapse the mesh only if the element domain contains only linear elements.

See Also
What can I do with the Edit Mesh toolset?
  1. Enter the Mesh module. Select Part from the Object field in the context bar, and select a part from the list.
  2. From the main menu bar, select MeshEdit.

    Abaqus/CAE displays the Edit Mesh dialog box.

    Tip: You can also display the Edit Mesh dialog box using the tool, located at the bottom of the Mesh module toolbox.

  3. From the Category field, choose Mesh.
  4. From the Method list, select Collapse short edges.

    Abaqus/CAE displays the Collapse short edges dialog box.

  5. Enter the Edge tolerance to specify the minimum length of the edges of elements indicating that you want to collapse element edges that are shorter than the tolerance. The default value is approximately 10% of the average element size in the part.
  6. If desired, toggle on Specify and click Select to choose an element domain other than the entire mesh.
  7. If desired, toggle on Thickness direction and enter a direction vector or click the arrow icon to create a vector by picking points in the viewport.

    Abaqus/CAE uses the direction vector to measure the elements instead of measuring only the distance between nodes. When you use a direction vector, the collapse operation must be limited to specific edges of the selected elements to avoid collapsing edges that are perpendicular to the intended direction. If elements are oriented such that the direction is topologically ambiguous, Abaqus/CAE highlights the elements so you can either select a domain that excludes them or add a reference edge to further define the desired edges.

  8. If desired, toggle on Reference edge and click Select to choose a reference edge.

    When you use a reference edge, Abaqus/CAE checks for short edges in only those element edges that are topologically parallel to the selected edge.

    Note:

    If your element domain includes unconnected element sections, you can select a reference edge only within a single contiguous part of the domain. You may need to use the Collapse short edges tool multiple times on smaller element domains to achieve the desired results.

  9. Click OK.

    Abaqus/CAE highlights the elements that will have edges collapsed. Click Yes in the prompt area to collapse the edges or No to return to the Collapse short edges dialog box.

    If none of the element edges are shorter than the minimum length specified, Abaqus/CAE displays an error message that indicates the shortest element length.

    Tip: If you make a mistake while collapsing short edges in a mesh, click Undo in the Edit Mesh dialog box to undo the change. Abaqus/CAE restores the original mesh.

After editing an orphan mesh, you should always verify node-, element-, and surface-based features such as section assignments, loads, and interactions to ensure that they are correctly applied to the modified mesh.