What happens to calculation accuracy and time when the number of elements in a mesh for a part is increased?

Increasing the number of elements in a mesh for a part generally leads to enhanced calculation accuracy and increased computation time.

When the mesh is refined—meaning more elements are used—each element represents a smaller portion of the part. This detailed breakdown allows for a more accurate representation of the part’s geometry and behavior under various loading conditions. As a result, the numerical analysis can capture more complex stress distributions, deformation patterns, and other critical phenomena that simpler meshes (with fewer elements) might overlook.

However, the trade-off for this improved accuracy is that the computational workload becomes heavier, thereby increasing the time required for calculations. More elements mean more equations to solve and more data to process, leading to longer simulation times.

This balance between accuracy and computing time is a vital consideration in finite element analysis, influencing decisions developers make regarding mesh size and quality in simulations.