Pilatus Aircraft
Pilatus Aircraft used MSC.Software Virtual Product Development (VPD) tools to improve their development process in order to satisfy increasing customer requirements and stringent statutory regulations. For the development of the new turboprop training aircraft PC-21, Pilatus employed MSC.Nastran for analyzing components with respect to structural mechanics and dynamics, while MSC.ADAMS was used for design control kinematics. Thanks to the use of MSC.Software VPD tools and techniques, Pilatus realized time and cost savings, resulting in shorter time-to-market and the minimization of technical risk.
HBW/Netherlands- Nonlinear simulation of inflatable dam structure
The design/build engineering company Hollandsche Beton-en Waterbouw bv (HBW) investigated and validated the concept of a new, very large, inflatable dam with the help of MSC Software Professional Services and products such as MSC Marc. Using MSC Marc nonlinear simulation software, HBW could understand the dam's performance and the inflation/deflation procedure, as well as ensure that stresses were within the specified margin of safety. Thanks to the implementation of VPD tools, HBW realized design improvements in the inflatable dam's flexible structure and completed the design. When a heavy storm hit the Netherlands in 2002, HBW's dam automatically deployed within one hour as predicted by MSC Software tools.
Newman Haas Racing
Newman/Haas Racing uses the ADAMS/Motorsport toolkit and ADAMS/Insight for vehicle system modeling and design of experiments (DOE) to optimize the setup trade-offs required to deliver a more competitive car. The methods provided by MSC Software have produced a more intuitive understanding of the model and significant gains in runtime, and helped Newman/Haas Racing discover opportunities to further improve efficiency and output. Using test chassis set-up options in a virtual environment, Newman/Haas Racing can take best advantage of limited on-track practice and testing time.
Germanischer Lloyd - Pattern-based semi-automatic modeling of ship structures
The German classification society Germanischer Lloyd is using MSC Patran as the foundation for their industry-specific solution GL/ShipModel. Through customization based on the MSC Patran pre-processor, GL/ShipModel enables pattern-based semi-automatic modeling of ship structures while taking into account specific shipbuilding modeling needs. Tailored to the shipbuilding engineering process flow, the program's functionality is saving time-up to 30%-and cost, and increasing quality. VPD tools from MSC Software are helping Germanischer Lloyd meet safety requirements, and tight schedules while maintaining acceptable profit margins.
Matrix Applied Computing - Designing Racing Yachts using MSC Laminate Modeler
The New Zealand company Matrix Applied Computing has successfully used Patran Laminate Modeler to generate flat patterns for strips of material quickly and effectively from a CAD model of a racing yacht. For racing yachts where stiffness and mass are of paramount importance, the draping simulation provides accurate material directions and hence more reliable stiffness optimization. The use of MSC Laminate Modeler is now an integral part of the company's design offerings.
Sikorsky Aircraft
Sikorsky, a world leader in the design and manufacture of advanced helicopters, reduces design bottlenecks by using MSC Nastran Implicit Nonlinear (Solution 600) for contact analysis. Integrating the solvers of MSC Nastran and Marc, MSC Nastran Implicit Nonlinear is speeding up the nonlinear analysis process by enabling engineers to skip the creation of a separate model in Marc Mentat. The MSC Nastran Implicit Nonlinear capabilities allow users such as Sikorsky to do contact analysis and get an accurate estimate of the true buckling strength of a structure -without any training in Marc.
Guardian Automotive - Simulation of Automotive Glass Components
Guardian Automotive uses Marc and MSC Software Professional Services in the development of glass products such as windows for the automotive industry. Simulation with MSC Software products enabled Guardian to try different temperature situations without interrupting the actual production process and to predict the behavior of the various materials both in different production stages and in their final use mounted in cars. The validated Marc simulations showed Guardian what the layout of the window should look like, and enabled them to demonstrate to their customers whether a certain heating system was suitable. As a result, Guardian benefited from increased efficiency and significant time savings.
Invernizzi Presse
The Italian manufacturer Invernizzi Presse employed Marc and Patran to improve existing presses and to develop new custom-made presses. They also used MSC Software tools to illustrate the functional performance of the presses to their customers. The combination of Marc and Patran was used for various contact analysis, mechanical safety structure analysis, and load calculations. Invernizzi engineers could try more design variants in less time and gained more accurate results than by using traditional mathematical calculation methods. As a result, Invernizzi realized significant time savings, and, while optimizing material usage, saved production costs.
Draper Labs
Draper Laboratory used MSC.EASY5 to provide the graphical user interface (GUI) and infrastructure for a collaborative Virtual Product Development environment in the development of missile guidance systems. The open architecture of MSC.EASY5 improved the collaboration by providing a direct link to other popular simulation tools, such as MATLAB/Simulink. Using MSC.EASY5, Draper Labs reduced the high costs of testing very complex electromechanical systems by cutting simulation time from weeks to hours.
Automotive Systems Laboratory (ASL) - Vehicle Occupant Restraint Systems
In order to reduce the cost of testing their airbag restraint systems, ASL is using Virtual Product Development tools such as MSC Dytran. MSC Dytran offers the advantage of coupled Euler-Lagrange analysis, allowing combined structural and gaseous fluid simulation. Contact analysis is very important in simulating an airbag deployment, and MSC Dytran provides a number of options for defining contacts. For ASL, MSC Dytran has proven to be a robust tool that can be applied to the design optimization of vehicle occupant restraint systems for both crash and out-of-position scenarios, which are relevant to the restraint system designs of the future.
Autoliv - Side-curtain Airbag Simulation
Autoliv, the world's largest manufacturer of automotive safety equipment, has developed side-curtain airbag systems by using MSC Dytran to similate the dynamic events that occur during inflation, such as gas flow and enclosure impact stiffness. MSC Dytran provides Autoliv with an effective tool to study OOP (out-of-position) scenarios, enabling engineers to identify and quantify the impact of numerous design variables. The software provides real value in terms of reducing the time and overall development effort required, compared to conventional prototype build and test methods.
The Boeing Company
Boeing is responsible for design, development, construction, and integration of the International Space Station (ISS) - Integrated on-orbit from a series of segments transported up to the Station by the Shuttle. MSC.ADAMS was used for functional verification of the attachment interface mechanisms, which required a thorough representation of the contacting geometry. The MSC.ADAMS solid-to-solid contact force statement allowed simulation of the segment-to-segment attachment including various combinations of contact feature misalignment. The analysis reduced contact model development and helped Boeing minimize the possibility of introducing an error by providing stable, accurate solid-to-solide models.
Leyland Trucks - Simulation of complex mechanisms
Leyland Trucks Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of PACCAR Inc., has become the company's established center for light- and medium-size truck design, development, and manufacture, producing trucks from six to 44 tonnes for each of PACCAR's established international brands -- Kenworth, Peterbilt, DAF, and Foden.
BMW Group - High Performance Computing
FEM analysis has become more complex and accordingly, the size and detailing of FEM models is continuously growing. Especially in the automotive industry this trend is obvious and the reason the German car manufacturer BMW asks the question, "How long can FEM programs cope with this growth?" The objective of a benchmark under the motto "Model of the Day After Tomorrow" was to stress the hardware and software to the limits it will face during the upcoming decade. MSC Software and IBM have passed this test successfully. (Special reprint from CAD CAM Magazine 9-10/2008.)
Sogeti Group - Simulation Process and Data Management
SOGETI Group (member of the Cap Gemini Group), a leader in IT services and R&D outsourcing, offers professional services that focus on three key complementary business areas: IT Application Management, IT Infrastructure Services and High Tech Consulting. Sogety enables their clients to leverage global technological innovations, and achieve above average results from their IT programs. The company employs more than 18,000 people in over 200 lcoations in Europe, the US and India. Around one third of the High Tech Consulting division's 3,000 employees are dedicated to engineering research and development.
