MODELLING AND SIMULATION


”We have been investing in streamlining the ways Adams can be coupled with electrical systems and in developing automated suites of validation tests”


20 to eight, and it also resulted in a weight reduction of 80 per cent in the assembly,’ Soami added. Another example is brake disc modelling. Soami explained: ‘To accurately model pad wear, it is important to find the real-time heat generation at the point of contact and model it simultaneously with the multi- body problem. Similarly, in high-precision robotic systems, coupling multibody analysis with electromagnetics analysis or adding a servo loop to the multi-body problem is critical to accurately model real- life systems.’ Comsol has a dedicated product for multibody analysis, eponymously called the Multibody Dynamics Module. As with other Comsol products, the Multibody Dynamics Module is integrated into the Comsol Multiphysics user interface and can be used simultaneously with all other add-on modules. ‘Therefore, the Multibody Dynamics Module can be used with the Heat Transfer Module and the CFD Module to couple and solve the flow, thermal and multibody dynamics problems simultaneously,’ Soami explained. ‘Similarly, the various nonlinear structural features available in the Comsol software (such as nonlinear materials and elastohydrodynamics for modelling bearings and rotors) can also be modelled with a combination of structural products in the Comsol product suite.’


 VTD and Adams Real Time used by Katech to simulate AVs


Advanced automotive Automotive companies are now using MBD simulation across the product development cycle. Baker said: ‘Companies are shifting to leverage dynamic physical simulators with real-time MBD to validate the ride of their vehicle before any metal is cut. This provides the ability to try many different concepts, which can be radically different without the time and cost of prototyping.’ To support this, Hexagon has invested


in its Adams Real Time solver technology to deliver accurate vehicle representations for simulators. Baker explained: ‘By having models with high fidelity, we provide a feel that is incredibly close to reality so that driving vehicles on the simulator will reflect the final vehicle behaviour.’ Artificial Intelligence (AI) is another


growing area, generating real-time digital twins across the entire product development lifecycle. Baker said: ‘The role of virtual models is no longer limited to product development. It can be


leveraged through the entire life of the product, developing digital twins that can be referenced during manufacture and in operation, providing faster decision making processes.’ Baker added: ‘In manufacturing, it can


be used to see if parts out of tolerance need to be scrapped or can still be used. In operation, the use of real-time telemetry to predict durability or component life to plan for maintenance or replacement before failures occur is becoming more attractive for large assets, connected cars and autonomous transport with high duty-cycles. Portable digital twins can also be shared up or down the supply chain to facilitate better and faster collaboration and testing.’


But the MBD simulation space still


‘urgently need[s] more and better collaboration across disciplines,’ according to Baker. It’s easy to see why, as Soami


explained: ‘Anything that moves requires a multibody analysis. Therefore, practically every industry has a need for this type of analysis.’


‘Coupling multibody dynamics with other


physics, such as acoustics, flow, heat transfer and electromagnetics will also become increasingly common,’ according to Soami. ‘Solving large multibody problems is critical to better understanding real-life systems. We are about to launch component mode synthesis (CMS), which can enable our customers to solve very large assemblies quickly, while still giving them the flexibility to couple multibody dynamics with other physics.’ So, while MBD analysis is built on strong


Fig 2. Model of an elastic roller chain sprocket assembly, where one sprocket is driving another sprocket that has an external load. Results show the stress in the sprockets and in the links


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scientific principles dating back to the times of Galileo and Newton, there’s still much to learn within the simulation space as our increasingly modern products continue to advance.


Autumn 2021 Scientific Computing World 25


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