Isogeometric model reconstruction of open shells via Ricci flow and quadrilateral layout-inducing energies

Isogeometric analysis has received extensive attention in the last decade, but despite its merits, many isogeometric models are still produced manually or semi-manually. In this work, we introduce a new technique using Ricci flow and a carefully constrained minimization to convert trimmed and faceted open geometries into watertight spline models free of trim and suitable for isogeometric analysis with potential for automation. This technique is used to rebuild parts of the US Army’s DEVCOM Generic Hull vehicle and portions of a 1996 Dodge Neon finite element model into trim-free spline models. Isogeometric modal analysis is performed on each to show the viability of this reconstruction framework in generating IGA-suitable splines for shell analysis. •Define criteria on a mesh that, if satisfied, yield a surface quadrilateral layout•Define PDEs that, with Ricci flow, yield a surface quadrilateral parameterization•Employ the technique to reconstruct trimmed and faceted shell geometries as splines•Demonstrate that the spline surfaces are suitable for isogeometric shell analysis