Generation of Generalized Meshes by Extrusion from Surface Meshes of Arbitrary Topology David S. Thompson 1 Satish Chalasani 2 Bharat K. Soni 3 NSF/MSU Engineering Research Center Mississippi State University Mississippi State, MS 39762 1 dst@erc.msstate.edu 2 satish@erc.msstate.edu 3 bsoni@erc.msstate.edu Abstract A novel algorithm to extrude smooth, near-body volume meshes from surface meshes of arbitrary topology is presented. These meshes are classified as generalized meshes because multiple element topologies may be present within the same mesh. The algorithm utilizes a three-step, parabolic scheme based on the Poisson equation used in structured grid generation to extrude the volume mesh. Several preliminary example meshes are included to demonstrate the efficacy of the approach. Introduction Mesh generation operates fundamentally by distributing points throughout the volume of a physical region, as well as on its bounding surfaces. Connection of the points forms the mesh and subdivides the physical region into a filling set of discrete volume elements. Structured grids [1]-[5] and unstructured meshes [6]- [8] have been used successfully to solve a wide range of problems in computational field simulation. Each of these mesh types has advantages and disadvantages that have been well documented. It seems apparent that no single mesh type can simultaneously address the conflicting requirements of solution accuracy, computational efficiency, and automation of the grid generation process. An alternative to uniform-topology meshing is the so-called hybrid grid method [9]-[12]. Elements of hybrid grids are not required to be of the same topological type. Typically, hybrid grid methods employ structured quadrilateral- or unstructured, triangular-element meshes to discretize interior bounding surfaces.