With competitive markets and compressed time to market needs, companies are looking for technologies that exactly enable them to cut short their development time or make their current platforms more efficient. Whether automotive, aerospace, ship building or heavy engineering, optimization is an increasing area of interest where companies are focusing their resources to arrive at an optimum design and a faster go-to market cycle. In the age of Digital transformation sweeping across different industry verticals, transforming the product development process is very important.
Automation is increasingly becoming a very important part of CAE. Traditionally, CAE model building activities that are time consuming has been the core focus of automation besides creating presentation files from the FE analysis results data base. In most of the organizations CAE SoP’s (standard operating procedures) are already in place, and this satisfies one of the important necessary conditions for initiating automation. Today as product development cycle time is being shrunk, there is more emphasis on virtual validation. This has led to more workload for CAE/FE analysts. Automation of the CAE SoP provides a bright spot for CAE/FE analysts to overcome the time crunch without any compromise on the quality of results.
Smart processes are available to automatically do functions like define contacts, and auto fix contacts are being added to make it easier for engineers to save time. Auto parameterization of the FE model provides the ability to add intelligence to the FE model assembly so that what if scenario study is made very easy. This holistic process is estimated to save time drastically upwards of 50 percent to the CAE User. Most important point in this process automation is that CAE user does not need expertise with any programming language.
Manually creating geometry, mesh or connections takes a significant amount of time for a design engineer to do. Design Enablers is a powerful module in DEP MeshWorks that allows users to automatically create typical design solutions required to improve structural and CFD performance and reduce weight. These Design Enablers can be executed as an integrated solution complete with properties, materials, connectors etc. These enablers can be executed as a single instance or as a parameter with multiple instances.
Typical Design Enablers available as automated ‘ready-to-use’ CAE solutions include: a) Beads, b) Darts, c) Bulk-heads, d) Reinforcements, e) Holes/Slots, f) Part extension/contraction, g) Shell rib, h) Tetra-rib, i) Tailor Welded & Rolled blank – TWB/TRB etc.
All of the above can be created very easily without the user having to manually create geometry, mesh or connections – sufficient to provide inputs at a high level as if a design engineer would do.
Some examples of Design Enablers that are available in tools like DEP MeshWorks are:
SHAPE PARAMETER
Shape changes like increasing or decreasing the size, translating or rotating a portion (Morphing) on a FE model is done with ease of access as per user requirement. Moreover, each and every shape changes applied can be reviewed individually that will be useful for comparing the variation.
GAUGE PARAMETERS
Gauge parameters can be created for multiple parts in a single step very easily & elegantly. Gauge thickness can be assigned to any given FE model in a simple way.
WELD PARAMETER
Weld parameters are useful way to optimize structures after design freeze for components/parts. Weld parameter helps realize welds appropriately after shape changes or morphing as well. Weld parameter tools help optimize the number of welds and their pitch for spot weld.
DOUBLER PARAMETER
Doubler parameters are created to increase local stiffness for NVH applications. Doublers can be created without CAD, and the resulting thickness penetration if any is automatically taken care of.
BULKHEAD PARAMETER
Bulk head parameter is excellent tool to improve sectional stiffness without much mass penalty and at the same time improve energy management during crash events. Bulkheads and its connection can be co-created without waiting for CAD.
BEAD/ CRUSH INITIATOR PARAMETER
Bead/ Crush initiator parameters are created to increase stiffness for NVH applications and to initiate crush during crash events.
SHELL RIB CREATION
In Interior trims shell ribs play important role in energy management during head impact. Such shell ribs could be inserted into FE mesh of trim parts for quick evaluation of the countermeasure without the need for CAD data.
PART EXTENSION PARAMETER
Part extension option is normally used to improve and tune the structural performance of the vehicle in Crash or durability events. Part extension or contraction can be carried out without CAD in certain tools too. Additional Packaging and shape change consideration to the body sections are not generally required.
TAILOR WELDED BLANKS (TWB) PARAMETER
Tailor welded blanks is important performance tuning option for energy management in Crash events. Tailor Welded Blank parameters helps to select the number of TWB patches along with their patch thicknesses.
DART PARAMETER
Dart parameters are created to increase stiffness for NVH applications, and can be
TOPOLOGY PARAMETER
Topology parameters provide the user with power to move an existing cross member to different location or create a new cross member with height change. The connections are co-created in tools as well.
TETRA RIB CREATION
Tetra ribs could be inserted into the models without waiting for CAD as we try to implement the finding from topology studies for further strengthening the housing or as a user defined rib addition based on engineering judgement.
PUNCH SLOTS/ HOLES PARAMETERS
Create lightening pockets on vehicle panels or cross-members in order to reduce mass or increase stiffness without waiting for CAD data.
In summary, the benefits of design enablers in CAE design optimization are plenty, and software like DEP MeshWorks are only increasing their parameters with each new version. They offer an integrated solution complete with properties, materials, connectors. They can be executed as a single instance or as a parameter. As it is completely modular, it can be hugely customized to a client’s requirement. The computer-aided design enables agile manufacturing, and is a futuristic way path ahead for CAE.
Shirin Hameed is the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) at Detroit Engineered Products (DEP).