[Smed]

Is it possible to sample data from a curved surface? I know that you can sample from a plane by specifying the base point and normal vector, but I want to specify an arc, as shown in the attached drawing.

[linnemann]

Hi

Yes it certainly is. Below is some code that shows how to use a stl surface to sample with. Note that the mesh resolution of the stl file will influence how well it interpolates/averages. Also make sure that the stl file is only as large as the mesh as it will produce false data if the stl file expands larger than the mesh domain.

I have checked it and it works correctly even with odd shapes. The stl file must reside in the constant/triSurface/ folder.

functions
{
    faceObj1
    {
        type            faceSource;
        functionObjectLibs ("libfieldFunctionObjects.so");

        enabled         true;
        outputControl   outputTime;

        // Output to log&file (true) or to file only
        log             true;

        // Output field values as well
        valueOutput     true;

        // Type of source: patch/faceZone/sampledSurface
        source          sampledSurface;

//         // if patch or faceZone: name of patch or faceZone
//         sourceName      movingWall;

        //// if sampledSurface: dictionary with a sampledSurface
        //// Note: will not sample surface fields.
        sampledSurfaceDict
        {
           // Sampling on triSurface
           type        sampledTriSurfaceMesh;
           surface     Scale_1.stl;
           source      cells;  // sample cells or boundaryFaces
           interpolate false;
        }

        // Operation: areaAverage/sum/weightedAverage ...
        operation       areaNormalIntegrate;

        fields
        (
            p
            U
        );
    }
}

The following operations are available.

         "none",
         "sum",
         "average",
         "weightedAverage",	
         "areaAverage",	
         "areaIntegrate",
         "min",
         "max",
         "CoV",
         "areaNormalAverage",
         "areaNormalIntegrate"

[Smed]

Niels,

Thanks for your response! Can this code be executed as a post process (like sampleDict) or does it need to be placed in controlDict before the case is run?

[mihaipruna]

hi, if I want to use the STL from SHM, do I have to give it the relative path?

[linnemann]

my own words in the above post

The stl file must reside in the constant/triSurface/ folder.

[mihaipruna]

sorry I should have read more carefully.

that's where I had the STL.
The mistake I made must lie elsewhere in my sampledict file.
So I'm going to use the example you provided

[mihaipruna]

linneman. can you please post your entire sampleDict?
I don't get any output. It just says Time 0, 100 etc.

nm seems to work now!

[tfuwa]

Hi Foamers,

This may sound silly, but how to generate a stl file for the curved surface in the first place? Thanks.

Originally Posted by linnemann

Hi

Yes it certainly is. Below is some code that shows how to use a stl surface to sample with. Note that the mesh resolution of the stl file will influence how well it interpolates/averages. Also make sure that the stl file is only as large as the mesh as it will produce false data if the stl file expands larger than the mesh domain.

I have checked it and it works correctly even with odd shapes. The stl file must reside in the constant/triSurface/ folder.

functions
{
    faceObj1
    {
        type            faceSource;
        functionObjectLibs ("libfieldFunctionObjects.so");

        enabled         true;
        outputControl   outputTime;

        // Output to log&file (true) or to file only
        log             true;

        // Output field values as well
        valueOutput     true;

        // Type of source: patch/faceZone/sampledSurface
        source          sampledSurface;

//         // if patch or faceZone: name of patch or faceZone
//         sourceName      movingWall;

        //// if sampledSurface: dictionary with a sampledSurface
        //// Note: will not sample surface fields.
        sampledSurfaceDict
        {
           // Sampling on triSurface
           type        sampledTriSurfaceMesh;
           surface     Scale_1.stl;
           source      cells;  // sample cells or boundaryFaces
           interpolate false;
        }

        // Operation: areaAverage/sum/weightedAverage ...
        operation       areaNormalIntegrate;

        fields
        (
            p
            U
        );
    }
}

The following operations are available.

         "none",
         "sum",
         "average",
         "weightedAverage",    
         "areaAverage",    
         "areaIntegrate",
         "min",
         "max",
         "CoV",
         "areaNormalAverage",
         "areaNormalIntegrate"

[Smed]

Originally Posted by tfuwa

Hi Foamers,

This may sound silly, but how to generate a stl file for the curved surface in the first place? Thanks.

Pretty much any method that can be used to create a mesh can also create an stl file. I created the desired sampling surface with blockMesh (curved it using the edges keyword), then converted it to an stl using foamToSurface. You could also use a program like gmsh or any of the commercial options.