Abstract: In the process of simulation of multiple physical fields in virtual prototyping of mechanical products, the finite element meshes and simulation results are heterogeneous due to the difference of purposes and tools of analysis. It is important to realize the integration and visualization of finite element data of multiple physical fields by coupling the geometrical and physical information of heterogeneous models. A novel method of coupling of heterogeneous finite element meshes and interpolation of simulation results is presented. According to the topological information extracted from the heterogeneous meshes, a transitional mesh is built. The nodes of each heterogeneous mesh are coupled and mapped by the coordinates of each other. The geometry model of transitional mesh is rendered in virtual environment and the mapping of physical attributes of nodes to geometry points is set up. Based on this method, a package is developed to simulate the behavior of multiple physical fields in virtual prototyping of mechanical products.

Key words: Coupling of heterogeneous meshes, FEA, Multiple physical fields, Virtual prototyping, Visual simulation