How does this calculator work?
The calculator applies stress-gradient heuristics derived from decades of FEA best practice to map your geometry size and element type to a recommended mesh density.
For linear elements, finer meshes are needed because the displacement field is piecewise-linear and stress is constant per element. Quadratic elements capture stress gradients with fewer elements, so the recommended size is coarser. The convergence target scales the result: a tighter tolerance drives a smaller element size.
General mesh size guidelines
| Region type | Linear elements | Quadratic elements |
|---|---|---|
| Bulk / far-field | 1–3 elements per feature | 1–2 elements per feature |
| Stress concentration / fillet | 6–10 elements through radius | 4–6 elements through radius |
| Contact interface | 4–6 elements per contact half-width | 3–4 elements per contact half-width |
| Thin-walled section | 4+ elements through thickness | 2–3 elements through thickness |