Surface editing for engineering design

Abstract

This dissertation investigates automated surface editing methods within engineering design workflows, aiming to facilitate extracting and applying localised surface details, such as damage imperfections from reverse-engineered components. In the context of digital modelling, surface editing involves the direct manipulation of three-dimensional surfaces or the modification of three-dimensional volumes by altering their boundary. This area of research has produced many techniques for triangle mesh manipulation, which are notable for being relatively simple yet providing advanced control over localised surface adjustments. Some popular algorithms are delineated in this dissertation, accompanied by fundamental principles to impart a practical understanding to the reader. The primary contribution of this research is the development of a specialised suite of workflows and routines, referred to as the MeshPatch library, which is organised into a few operations that function as a user interface. These operations tackle two core tasks: one is the identification and extraction of surface features via a custom spectral clustering algorithm, and the other is the application of these features onto an arbitrary target mesh using a synthesis of surface mapping, alignment, and deformation techniques. The efficacy of the proposed tools is demonstrated through their application on various models and surface features and by evaluating their modelling capabilities in a numerical simulation experiment. The experiment, which is the subject of a dedicated chapter, involves modifying a NACA0018 airfoil with damage patterns at the leading edge. These samples are then analysed within Fluent software under different conditions, such as differing damage patterns, chord resolutions, and angles of attack. While the lift and drag coefficients from the simulations are recorded and compared with a benchmark study, the primary objective of this experiment is to validate the compatibility, efficacy, and constraints of the surface editing methods under investigation.

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Identifiers

ORCID for Honorio Salmeron Valdivieso: orcid.org/0000-0001-5135-4552

ORCID for Andy Keane: orcid.org/0000-0001-7993-1569

ORCID for David Toal: orcid.org/0000-0002-2203-0302

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