MSC Software Corporation

Humans lose bone mass with age because their bones lose calcium and other minerals and become lighter, less dense and more porous. As this process continues, our bones become weaker, increasing the risk of bone fracture. A patient is said to have osteoporosis when bone mineral density (BMD), the concentration of minerals in a unit volume of bone, falls below a threshold value.

This innovative solution to osteoporosis developed by Infosys uses computer-assisted design and FEA for the evaluation of fracture risk of the vertebrae quantitatively. Stresses computed through the simulation provide more accurate assessment than traditional BMD measurements in the determination of fracture risk. It applies best practices in mechanical engineering to understand the biomechanics of vertebrae.

• Using MSC Nastran to study the mechanics of vertebrae while taking into account various factors such as the shape, density distribution of cortical/cancellous bone and other material properties of bone tissue and porosity.
• The solution helps practitioners to study bones in a detailed and non-invasive manner, and quantitatively analyze the fracture risk of vertebrae
• Stresses computed through the simulation provide more accurate assessment than traditional BMD measurements in the determination of fracture risk

Noise/vibration/harshness (NVH) and fuel economy often must be traded off against each other during the vehicle design process.

When developing a new vehicle model, engineers are responsible for meeting a wide variety of often conflicting performance targets. Fuel economy and NVH are two of the most important categories of targets.

• This case study successfully demonstrates the FMI integration approach for vehicle lugging NVH assessment
• Effectively coupled AMESim Converter Controller model with Adams Driveline and Vehicle model
• An Optimum Torque Converter slip speed was determined meeting lugging target requirement while balancing with fuel economy
• Simulation results showed drivetrain torsional vibration along with vehicle vibration (steering wheel & seat track) were effectively reduced with converter slip

Young university students make use of Adams multi-body simulation software to construct a vehicle for entry in the Formula Student competition. ‘Team Fast Forest’ from Deggendorf is using the software to study tires and chassis. Breaking conventional car design, the team will focus on electric vehicles.

In the past, the design of new two wheeler models at Mahindra was based on building prototypes and driving them on a test track. The limitations of this approach were that prototypes took an average of five weeks to build and had to be run for about two weeks to evaluate component durability. A major improvement came when test rigs were introduced and used to recreate the conditions of the test track using automated equipment that eliminated the need for a driver and could be operated 24X7. This approach saved time, however, a complete vehicle prototype iteration was still required for each major design change.

Mahindra selected MSC Software’s Adams, the most widely used MBD software for over three decades. MSC Software is the world leader in both MBD and FEA software. Speaking the language of both domains gives MSC the capability to develop the rich data transfer required to fully integrate them. Mahindra has evolved a new virtual testing design process that uses Adams to simulate the performance of new designs and accurately predict their performance prior to the prototype phase.

Basing the design process on simulation rather than testing provides substantial time and cost savings. The largest savings come from being able to evaluate alternative designs without having to build a prototype. The number of prototypes required to bring a new two wheeler to market has been reduced from 4 or 5 in the past to 2 or 3 now. The time to build and test a new prototype is about 7 weeks so the company has been able to bring new two wheels to market at least 7 to 21 weeks faster than was possible in the past.

• Simulation provides much more diagnostic information than can be obtained from physical testing
• Engineers perform parametric analyses to investigate the influence of design variables such as the location of hard points on accelerations
• Excellent correlation between simulation and measurements on suspension systems
• The number of prototypes required to bring a new two wheeler to market has been reduced from 4 or 5 in the past to 2 or 3 now
• Adams bring new two wheels to market at least 7 to 21 weeks faster than was possible in the past

Scania transmission components are developed as part of Scania’s integrated powertrain with a perfectly matched specification for each individual demand. The gearboxes are designed to suit the high-torque Scania engine range. The multitude of drive axle and bogie options provide optimum strength without inducing a weight penalty. Integrated powertrains are offered to customers on a modular basis in which nearly any gearbox can be combined with nearly any engine.

The traditional approach to the design of gearbox and powertrain components involves creating an initial design based on one-dimension powertrain models and engineering calculations and then building and testing a prototype. With this approach, undesirable properties are identified during physical testing at a late stage in the design process when changes are expensive. Another concern was that the cost involved in building and testing different gearbox-engine combinations can be very high, especially if prototypes have to be rebuilt and retested because the design did not match what was intended the first time.

Scania has addressed this challenge by making extensive use of MSC Software’s Adams multibody simulation (MBS) 3D powertrain models that accurately predict transmission dynamic behavior. Scania powertrains are now developed in a virtual environment in which a large number – often thousands – of design alternatives are simulated and evaluated as software prototypes. Simulation predicts the performance of design alternatives prior to committing to the time and cost involved in building and testing physical prototypes.

Simulation enables Scania engineers to quickly evaluate functional virtual prototypes of power transmission assemblies and components. Working in the MSC Software Adams simulation environment, Scania engineers can exercise powertrain designs under a wide range of conditions using the same tests they normally perform in a test lab but in a fraction of the time. Modifications are validated in the virtual world, which saves a significant amount of time and money in the design process. In some cases engineers have solved quality issues 30 percent to 40 percent faster when running simulation and measurements in parallel due to better understanding of the product.

• Quickly model and evaluate power transmission assemblies and components
• Excellent correlation between simulation and measurements in NVH and gear rattle
• Solved quality issues 30 percent to 40 percent faster than using physical test alone

Astronomical telescopes and instruments enable astronomers to see into deep space and unravel the mysteries of the universe. Freeform mirror surfaces – surfaces with a shape more complex than a symmetrical conventional mirror surface (as for example, sphere, parabola, hyperbola, etc.) - offer substantial benefits by providing additional degrees of freedom that make it possible to improve the optical performances of the instrument, reducing the overall instrument mass and size.

The hydroforming process is difficult to design and optimize because the mirror undergoes plastic deformation to provide a freeform optical surface. While the elastic behavior of materials is well known and frequently modeled in optical manufacturing, the analysis of materials under stress in the plastic domain is much more difficult because it involves both material and geometric nonlinearities. One particular importance is the quantifying of the springback effect, in order to control the final shape of the mirror.

• Reduction of time and cost of physical testing
• Ability to produce a higher quality mirror surface
• Accurate modeling of material and geometric nonlinearities

• Accurate vibro-acoustic modeling of exhaust gas pipe system
• Reduction of environmental sound levels with minimal physical testing

• Greater understanding of crack growth
• More accurate prediction on part life-cycle
• Increased uptime of drilling rig

One of the most important factors for efficient manufacturing was considered to be the experience of the blacksmith. This includes the knowledge of and the feeling for the temperatures in the blank as well as the right selection of the workpiece sizes and the correct angle for putting them into the die. Entering the forging business seems to be quite difficult for a company because it has to gain the required experiences to realize an efficient forging process.

Crankshafts for large diesel engines that are used in container ships are usually forged in middle and small series. Because every crankshaft has specific features, their manufacturing and design is a challenge. This is where the forming simulation comes into play.

An optimal manufacturing process for automotive components is essential for the quality and the cost efficiency of these components. This is the reason why the use of simulation tools prior to the production has increased. With simulation, the process can be planned in detail to save material or increase the uptime of the machines.

In the automotive supplier industry, innovative product design and manufacturing solutions are essential for being competitive. Components and subsystems are engineered to achieve highest quality standards and must be offered at a competitive price. As those parts are usually produced in large quantities, a failure of only one component can lead to very expensive recalls, let alone the damage of the manufacturer’s reputation. Design and simulation solutions are required to offer an environment that delivers a mature and robust way to archive a greater knowledge about the optimal design and the manufacturing process, while giving the engineers the ability to find innovative solutions.

The subject of this case study was an effort undertaken within Fokker Space to lower the volume and mass of solar panel array designs. This culminated in the Curwin solar panel array concept which used a curved arrangement of solar panels (like a tape measure) instead of a separate backbone structure to reduce both volume and mass while retaining the required stiffness and high frequency response.

The goals for the simulation of the deployment were:

• Determine the important factors in a successful deployment
• Evaluate the initial design of the solar panel array
• Validate design changes to meet the requirements of a successful deployment
• Final validation of a design that resulted in a controlled and reliable deployment

MSC Software’s Adams was chosen to analyze the multibody dynamic process during the deployment. In the past, Adams has been successfully used within the spacecraft industry to model solar panel deployment.

• Lower volume and mass of solar panel array design
• Reduce costs from $10,000 per pound for a single satellite launched via heavy rockets to below $3,000 with new approach
• Realistic simulation to replicate on-orbit conditions during deployment

Designing the right tire for large wheeled vehicles used to haul coal and other materials in underground mines presents an enormous design challenge. Pneumatic tires present risks because of the danger of an explosion in a confined space while solid tires are associated with relatively large vibrations experienced by the driver. Big Tyre, a company that specializes in producing solid tires for mining vehicles, is developing a unique alternative which uses arrays of leaf-springs, typically made of composite materials, to provide performance similar to pneumatic tires without the risk of blow-outs.

Big Tyre is a manufacturer of solid wheels that are primarily used in underground mining vehicles. “Many mining companies have switched from pneumatic tires to solid wheels because of the dangers presented by pneumatic tires underground,” Louden said. “Mines underground have bolts sticking out of the walls that can easily cause punctures. Tires on heavy vehicles are inflated as high as 170 psi, so when they are torn or punctured a considerable amount of force is released. Due to space constraints underground, workers are often in close proximity to the tires so the potential for injury when a tire is torn or ruptures is a major concern.”

The design concept provides the flexibility and challenge of defining various design parameters including the number of springs in an array, thickness of springs, curvature of springs, length of springs, material properties of springs, geometry and material properties of the segments that the springs attach to on the outer diameter of the wheel, as well as many others. The design criterion is to provide a very efficient vertical loading for the size of the wheel while providing similar if not equivalent suspension to a pneumatic tire, with excellent torque capacity and lateral stability.

Compumod first conducted a nonlinear static analysis on one spring to correlate the model material properties with experimental data. The material properties were tuned to replicate the measured reaction force in the experiment. Then a nonlinear analysis was performed on the entire wheel to assess its strength. The wheel was given an enforced displacement of 150 mm which was solved in 100 nonlinear increments. The reaction force was then measured on the ground and graphed against displacement. The first negative slope indicated failure of the wheel at 252 kiloNewtons or 25.7 metric tons, which is well over the target of 16 metric tons. After the first collapse of the wheel, the contact between the springs and between the springs and segments added stiffness to the wheel and the reaction force increased again for increasing displacements.

“After seeing the benefits of the software, we decided to purchase Patran and Marc,” Louden said. “Compumod organized training for us in their Sydney office and handed over the models they created in the consulting project. We very quickly began designing the second full-size version of our design, and have been able to improve the design at a much faster pace than in the past. It even allows us to simulate driving maneuvers of the vehicles, including obstacles on the road.

Pilsen Steel, a leading producer of castings, ingots and forgings experienced difficulties with ingots cracking in a forging operation. The company contracted with COMTES FHT to investigate and determine the root cause of the formation of longitudinal cracks in 34CrNiMo6 steel ingots.

Traditional process involved cooling of the ingots after casting to between 500oC and 600oC, after which the ingots are placed in the forging furnace at temperature of 1100oC to 1200oC. COMTES used MSC Software’s Marc nonlinear finite element analysis (FEA) software to analyze the process of heating the ingots in the furnace and confirmed that heating the ingots in the furnace generated thermal stresses that later caused cracks to form during forging. Additional simulation studies also showed that increasing the temperature of the ingots by 100oC prior to putting them into the furnace reduced thermal stresses to acceptable levels. Pilsen Steel implemented this change and it eliminated the cracking problem.

• Realistic Simulation of the Multiphysics behavior of metal during manufacturing
• Elimination of cracking in final product reducing reject rate and improving product quality

Performing thermal analysis on the complete ingot workload requires determining the radiant heat transfer between the furnace and each of the each ingots with shading effects taken into account. Marc excels at this type of challenging multiphysics problem which is why it is our finite element analysis tool of choice

Tikal, COMTES FHT