Case Study: Wayne State University achieves faster, high-quality human-body meshing for impact biomechanics with ANSYS ICEM CFD Hexa

Simulation of the human body in impact biomechanics

Wayne State University’s Biomedical Engineering Center, a leader in impact biomechanics and the development of finite element human body models, faced the challenge of creating high-quality, fully hexahedral meshes from complex anatomical geometries (MRI/CT-derived surfaces) that meet strict minimum element-size criteria for explicit finite element simulations. To address this, they adopted ANSYS’s meshing solution, using ANSYS ICEM CFD Hexa to handle geometry repair and high-quality hexahedral mesh generation.

ANSYS delivered a top-down blocking workflow in ICEM CFD Hexa that let researchers rapidly iterate meshing topologies, adjust element density independently of topology, and reuse blocking strategies across different individuals. The result, according to Wayne State University, was a much faster meshing process than previous methods, consistent production of meshes that meet quality and size constraints for impact simulations, and improved productivity—with ANSYS staff providing ongoing technical support.

Wayne State University

Philippe Beillas

Wayne State University