MODELLING AND SIMULATION
Simulia’s Star-CCM+ to run computational fluid dynamics simulations in order to develop numerous iterations of the vehicle’s front-wing endplates. These endplates have a significant
Elaphe in-wheel drivetrain platform g
Schramm explained: ‘HyperWorks provides a broad solver and workflow portfolio that enables the automotive industry to use more designs with optimisation and multiphysics simulations of interacting structural, mechanical, thermal, electromagnetic and fluid behaviour for all manufacturing methods.’ That’s a lot of systems and subsequent
factors to optimise - but such optimisation is vital for automotive companies to gain a competitive advantage. For example, sound quality ‘will play a critical role in the differentiation of new vehicles,’ according to Schramm, who added: ‘The Statistical Energy Analysis (SEA) embedded into the SEAM software, Altair’s most recent acquisition, allows engineers and designers to identify and solve noise and vibration problems early in the design cycle, saving critical time and money, shortening the product development cycle and improving the user experience.’ As a result, simulation and modelling
tools are increasingly required across every stage of the design and manufacturing lifecycle for the industry. Schramm said: ‘Massive deployment of Altair’s structural optimisation technology at the concept stage (including topology, topography and free-size) through to the detailed design (size, shape, and free- shape) and into manufacturing (for gauge, composites, additive manufacturing) is becoming more common.’ To truly get the industry up to speed
with the world of simulation and modelling, improvements in user education must be realised. Prior explained: ‘The speed of deployment in the automotive industry is in line with the speed of adoption [of simulation and modelling tools]. We need to develop the workforce of today and the future to adopt this software and use it in a productive manner.’
While machine learning and AI-guided
user workflows can help, according to Prior, educational initiatives such as La Fondation Dassault Systèmes can
28 Scientific Computing World June/July 2019 Elaphe dynamic characterisation bench
help businesses harness the power of simulation and modelling and understand its impact across all industries, workflows and research. ‘If we do not have a user community, it’s owning a racing car when you have only just passed your test,’ he added.
The University of Toronto Formula
Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) Racing Team is facing similar educational challenges. This student-run club designs, builds and competes with an open‐ wheeled race car at the global Formula SAE (FSAE) Collegiate Design Series of student competitions. Jonathan Lee, head of chassis at the
University of Toronto Formula SAE Racing Team, said: ‘The most difficult challenge
“By properly utilising and designing a complete aerodynamic package, teams can drastically improve the handling”
for the team, as a whole, is knowledge transfer. Due to the naturally high turnover rate of a student design team, it is difficult to properly educate the new members, while juggling all the other responsibilities entangled with being on a student design team and university classes. ‘Add to the fact that participation in the club is voluntary, it becomes difficult to determine who is willing to put the necessary hours in early on, which shortens the amount of time available to bring valuable recruits up to speed. The most recent attempts at fixing this revolved around better recruitment campaigns, dedicated recruitment leaders, as well as focused mentorships to bring the talented new members up to speed.’ The team used the ACTnowHPC on- demand cloud solution from Advanced Clustering Technologies (ACT) and
effect on the performance of the wing and aerodynamics of the car. Lee said: ‘With regulations restricting the maximum height of the front wing, and a minimum ground clearance set by some basic calculations, the next least complicated part of the front wing to find maximum benefits from was the front wing endplates. ‘In recent years, owing partially to the
advent of cloud computing, teams have started utilising CFD software to take advantage of aerodynamic forces, just like in motorsports. By properly utilising and designing a complete aerodynamic package, teams can drastically improve the handling performance of their cars, and the use of aerodynamic forces is now basically a requirement to compete at the bleeding edge of FSAE,’ he added. The University of Toronto SAE team
started using CFD three years ago and has been ‘slowly building the knowledge required to use an inherently very complicated tool,’ Lee said. ‘With the knowledge built up, the team is now surveying the possibility of utilising CFD to create a complete aerodynamic package, one that takes into account more nuanced aspects of aerodynamic stability, like pitch and yaw sensitivity,’ he added. ‘ACT’s suite and expertise in high-
performance cluster workloads allowed us to use more accurate simulation tools and models, in order to better understand the car the team develops and manufactures. Specialised knowledge with such workloads allow for efficient use of computationally-heavy simulations, which can drastically improve vehicle performance when used correctly,’ Lee explained. The automotive industry is increasingly
embracing simulation and modelling to gain a competitive advantage and keep pace in this vastly changing sector. As more tools are developed, the industry stands to benefit greatly in the years ahead. Schramm concluded: ‘Whether defining
more effective design engineering workflows, using fleet-wide data acquisition to improve operational efficiency, or enabling the predictive maintenance of each vehicle, the true potential of combining advanced physics simulations and data science solutions throughout the vehicle lifecycle is just being realised.’
@scwmagazine |
www.scientific-computing.com
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