Retopology and simplification of reality-based models for finite element analysis

Reality-based 3D techniques and Finite Element Analysis share the way the object under investigation is discretized. Although their purpose, the generation methods and the quality metrics are different, both of them ground on the concept of mesh. Unfortunately, a mesh derived from a reality-based technique are not suitable to be used in a finite element solver directly. This paper aims at comparing different methods to prepare computational mesh of geometries derived from non-contact reality-based technologies. A benchmark test object has been acquired with different devices, a triangulation laser scanner, a multi-stripe triangulation scanner and a digital camera, and post processed in order to fix artifacts. Then, two different decimation approaches have been used: a triangular simplification and retopology. The acquired geometry, before and after the simplifications, has been compared with a CAD model employed as reference: mean and standard deviation between the nominal and the acquired geometries have been tracked. Finally, a tensile test has been simulated making use of a general-purpose finite element analysis software and the results have been compared with the exact solution.