# Mesh Quality Review Checklist

**Purpose:** A practical, step-by-step checklist to evaluate grid quality, boundary layer resolution, and grid independence before committing computational resources to a full solver run.

**How to use this checklist:** 
1. Download or copy this file into your simulation project folder.
2. Fill out the details during your mesh generation and review phase.
3. Attach the completed checklist to your final engineering report or design review.

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## 1. Project & Context Metadata
- [ ] **Project Name / ID:** 
- [ ] **Simulation Case ID:** 
- [ ] **Mesh Version:** 
- [ ] **Owner / Analyst:** 
- [ ] **Reviewer / Approver:** 
- [ ] **Date / Version:** 
- [ ] **Mesher / Software & Version:** 

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## 2. Mesh Strategy Overview
- [ ] **Mesh Type:** Hexahedral, tetrahedral, polyhedral, Cartesian, or mixed?
- [ ] **Geometry Simplifications:** Have small features, slivers, or irrelevant details been suppressed or removed?
- [ ] **Refinement Goals:** Are refinement regions correctly positioned for the expected flow features?
- [ ] **Quantities of Interest (QoI):** What variables (e.g., drag, pressure drop, peak temperature) dictate the mesh requirements?

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## 3. Geometry and Topology Review
- [ ] **Small Features & Slivers:** Have problematic CAD artifacts been cleaned up?
- [ ] **Symmetry/Periodicity:** Are symmetry planes and periodic interfaces correctly assigned?
- [ ] **Moving/Rotating Interfaces:** Are sliding meshes or rotating reference frames correctly zoned?
- [ ] **Contact/Interface Regions:** Are conformal or non-conformal interfaces correctly mapped without gaps or overlaps?
- [ ] **Feature Suppression:** Were explicit decisions made on which features to suppress versus keep?

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## 4. Global Mesh Quality
- [ ] **Cell Count:** Total number of cells/elements. Is it within the expected computational budget?
- [ ] **Element Type Distribution:** Percentage of hex/tet/poly/prism cells.
- [ ] **Skewness / Quality:** What is the maximum skewness? Is it below the solver's recommended threshold (e.g., < 0.95)?
- [ ] **Non-Orthogonality:** What is the maximum non-orthogonality angle? Does it require deferred correction or extra solver sweeps?
- [ ] **Aspect Ratio:** What is the maximum aspect ratio, particularly outside of the boundary layer?
- [ ] **Negative Volume / Inverted Cells:** Are there zero cells with negative volume?
- [ ] **Volume Change / Growth Rate:** Are neighboring cell volumes transitioning smoothly (e.g., growth rate < 1.2)?

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## 5. Local Refinement Review
- [ ] **Inlets / Outlets:** Is the mesh refined enough to capture the incoming profile or prevent outlet recirculation issues?
- [ ] **Walls & Surfaces:** Is surface curvature adequately resolved by surface elements?
- [ ] **Wakes & Shear Layers:** Are refinement zones placed downstream of bluff bodies or mixing regions?
- [ ] **Recirculation Zones:** Is the mesh fine enough where flow separation is expected?
- [ ] **Jets & Plumes:** Are volumetric controls correctly targeting jet expansion?
- [ ] **Pressure Gradient Regions:** Is refinement adequate around sharp corners or stagnation points?
- [ ] **Heat-Transfer Regions:** Is the solid-fluid interface refined for conjugate heat transfer?

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## 6. Inflation / Prism / Boundary-Layer Layers
- [ ] **First Cell Height:** What is the target first cell height? Does it match the desired y+?
- [ ] **Layer Count:** How many layers are specified (e.g., 10-20 for resolving the sublayer)?
- [ ] **Growth Rate:** Is the normal-to-wall growth rate reasonable (e.g., 1.1 to 1.3)?
- [ ] **Total Layer Thickness:** Does the prism layer cover the estimated boundary layer thickness?
- [ ] **Transition to Core Mesh:** Is the volume jump between the last prism cell and the first core cell acceptable?
- [ ] **Layer Collapse / Truncation:** Did the mesher collapse layers in tight corners? Is this acceptable?

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## 7. y+ Review (Post-Initial Solve)
- [ ] **Target y+ Range:** What is the target y+ for the chosen turbulence model and wall treatment?
- [ ] **Min/Max/Area-Weighted y+:** Are the y+ values globally acceptable?
- [ ] **High/Low y+ Hotspots:** Are there localized regions violating the wall treatment assumptions?
- [ ] **Mesh Updates:** Are changes needed to the first cell height based on the initial flow field?

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## 8. Boundary Condition and Interface Mesh Checks
- [ ] **Inlet/Outlet Face Quality:** Are the boundary faces planar and well-shaped?
- [ ] **Wall Face Quality:** Is the surface mesh free of heavily skewed or folded triangles/quads?
- [ ] **Periodic / Interface Matching:** Do periodic interfaces match topologically, or is a GGI/AMI required?
- [ ] **Rotating / Sliding Interface Quality:** Are the elements on both sides of a sliding interface of similar size?

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## 9. Grid Independence Plan
- [ ] **Coarse/Medium/Fine Strategy:** Are three systematically refined meshes planned?
- [ ] **Refinement Ratio:** Is a consistent refinement ratio (e.g., ~1.3-1.5 in each direction) used?
- [ ] **Quantities to Compare:** Which QoIs will be tracked across the grid levels?
- [ ] **Acceptance Criteria:** What is the acceptable percentage change between grid levels?
- [ ] **Discretization Error Estimate:** Has the Grid Convergence Index (GCI) or a similar method been considered?

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## 10. Post-Run Mesh Diagnostics
- [ ] **Residual Instability:** Are high residuals localized to poor quality cells?
- [ ] **Monitor Sensitivity:** Are engineering monitors oscillating due to inadequate mesh resolution?
- [ ] **Mass/Energy Imbalance:** Is poor mesh quality causing localized conservation errors?
- [ ] **Visual Gradient Checks:** Does the solution show unphysical jumps or smearing across large cells?

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## 11. Final Go / No-Go
- [ ] **Mesh Approval:** Is the mesh quality acceptable and ready for the production solver run?

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*Disclaimer: This is an educational workflow aid designed to assist engineers in structuring their mesh review process. It does not replace solver documentation, rigorous validation, internal company procedures, or professional engineering judgment.*