Context:
This option is of particular interest if you are assigning mesh controls to a gasket, continuum shell, cylindrical, or cohesive region. Unless you assign another orientation (for more information, see Applying a mesh stack orientation), the directional properties of these region types are dependent on the sweep path. When you mesh a gasket region, the axis of each gasket element will be coincident with the sweep path direction. (For more information, see Gaskets,” and About gasket elements.) When you mesh a continuum shell or cohesive region, the sweep path is aligned with the stack direction. (For more information, see Meshing parts with continuum shell elements, and Creating a model with cohesive elements using geometry and mesh tools.) When you mesh a cylindrical region with cylindrical elements, the sweep path of the selected sweep/revolve region is aligned along the circumferential direction of the cylindrical geometry. (For more information, see Swept meshing of cylindrical solids.)
From the main menu bar, select .
Abaqus/CAE displays prompts in the prompt area to guide you through the procedure.
If your part or assembly contains more than one region, select the sweep-meshable regions of interest and then press mouse button 2.
The Mesh Controls dialog box appears.
In the Mesh Controls dialog box, select Sweep as the meshing technique if it is not already selected.
If more than one valid sweep path exists for the regions that you selected, a Redefine Sweep Path button appears toward the bottom of the dialog box.
Click Redefine Sweep Path.
If you selected multiple regions, this procedure considers each of the selected regions in turn. The region currently being considered becomes highlighted in magenta, and the default sweep path is highlighted in red with an arrow indicating the sweep direction.
Specify the sweep path and direction of your choice by selecting the appropriate option in the prompt area:
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Click Accept Highlighted to accept the sweep path highlighted in the viewport.
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Click Flip to change the direction of the currently selected sweep path. Then click Yes to indicate that the new sweep path direction is correct.
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Click Select New (if applicable) to select a different edge as the sweep path. Then perform the following steps:
Select an edge in the sweep path. You can indicate the desired sweep direction by clicking the mouse button toward the end of the edge that you want to coincide with the end of the sweep path.
The new sweep path is highlighted in red with an arrow indicating the sweep direction.
Click Yes in the prompt area if the path and direction are correct, or click Flip if you want to change the direction of the sweep path. Then click Yes to indicate that the new sweep path direction is correct.
If multiple regions are selected with more than one valid sweep path, the procedure starts over with the next region. If only one region is selected, the procedure is complete and the Mesh Controls dialog box reappears.
tool, located in the Mesh module toolbox. (For more information, see Using the Mesh module toolbox.)