Development of ANSA meshing method

This thesis investigates the development and analysis of an alternative meshing methodology for Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations, focusing on the comparison between meshes generated by ANSA and STAR-CCM+ software. The study is applied to the single-seater car designed by “Squadra Corse PoliTo” for the Formula SAE international university competition. The primary objective is to generate a high-quality mesh in ANSA and rigorously evaluate it against the STAR-CCM+ mesh using various quality criteria, such as element skewness, face validity, and overall mesh structure. In addition, this new mesh is validated through a series of CFD simulations conducted using the ANSA mesh as a discretization of the computational domain. In particular, the same rectilinear and symmetrical domain (half car) is used as simulations currently carried out during the design process and based on the STAR-CCM+ mesh. These simulations aim to directly compare results from both meshing approaches, evaluating the ANSA mesh’s performance in terms of accuracy, computational efficiency, and robustness in capturing aerodynamic behavior. Beyond technical validation, this project also explores the potential financial and strategic benefits of adopting ANSA for the meshing process, allowing the team to improve the relationship with our software providers (BETA CAE Systems and Siemens) and enabling more solver options for CFD simulations. This expanded flexibility may reduce dependency on a single tool, improving adaptability to varying sponsorships and enhancing economic sustainability. By establishing ANSA as a viable alternative, the project contributes to Squadra Corse's long-term competitive strategy, providing a dual-meshing framework that supports ongoing design innovation and performance optimization in Formula SAE competitions.