www.vistagy.com

Alex Edwards, General Manager Europe24 June 2008

Improving composite part development through an integrated design, analysis and

manufacturing engineering process

©20

08 C

onfid

entia

l

Overview

About VISTAGY, Inc.

Introduction to FiberSIM

Optimisation of composite design through collaboration between analysis, design and manufacturing– Strategy to enable improved efficiency and performance

Demonstrating a parallel workflow for composite part design and analysis

Questions

©20

08 C

onfid

entia

l

About VISTAGY

Founded in 1991– Originally named Composite Design Technologies, Inc. – Privately held company with headquarters in Waltham,

Massachusetts, USA– Worldwide sales and support

Technology Partnership– Renault F1 Team

Partnerships– Dassault– Siemens– PTC– MSC Software

Over 200 customers worldwide

©20

08 C

onfid

entia

l

VISTAGY Airframe Design Suite

Quality Planning Environment (QPE)– In-process inspection– First Article Inspection planning and execution for parts

and assemblies

FiberSIM– Definition and manufacturing of composite detailed parts

Airframe Design Environment (ADE)– Engineering definition of parts, assemblies, fasteners

Airframe Manufacturing Environment (AME)– Manufacturing planning for parts, assemblies, fasteners

• Define Intermediate manufacturing states• Define Conditions of Supply

©20

08 C

onfid

entia

l

Catia V3

Unigraphics

Pro/ENGINEER

Catia V5

Catia V4

FiberSIM History

Quality PlanningEnvironment

1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004

3D Annotations,Cross sections etc.

Grid/StructureBased Design

Variable Offset SurfaceTechnology

Model Based Design

Optimized UI

Auto Deposition DesignOption

2005 2006 2007

PreliminaryMockup Solids & Weights

Model Merge

Skin Transfer

Simulation

Flat Pattern

Laser Projection

Composite Engineering Environment

Template Based Documentation

AnalysisInterface

Fiber Placement

RTM

XML

2008

SimXpertIntegration

Comanche

B787A350 XWB

V-22

F-22

S-92

Premier

JSF Boeing

JSF LMTAS F-35

CRJ700

GE90

CRJ1000

C-Series

A400M

©20

08 C

onfid

entia

l

World’s Leading Supplier of Composites CAD

©20

08 C

onfid

entia

l

Background

Composite part design is difficult

Analyst, Design Engineer and Manufacturing Engineers have different requirements and priorities

– Zones/regions, load cases, elements, properties etc.

– Design rules, drop-offs, transitions, reinforcements, mating part interfaces

– IML/OML tooling, springback, hand/auto deposition, minimum course lengths

Making design changes is difficult and time consuming

No opportunity for optimisation late in the design process

Results in over engineered parts

©20

08 C

onfid

entia

l

Detail Design Starting Point

GeometryLoft SurfacePart BoundarySystem Lines

Stress Data

Laminate Specfor “Bays”

Stacking Table

©20

08 C

onfid

entia

l

Loft SurfacePart BoundarySystem LinesStress Data

FiberSIM Starting Point

⇒NO MANUAL GEOMETRY CREATION - All boundaries are created automatically based on FiberSIM logic and engineering specs for transitions⇒Changes can be effected without manual geometry editing and are mainly automatic

FiberSIM Results:

Fully UpdateableDesign – key tonext stage ofintegration

©20

08 C

onfid

entia

l

Complex and Differing Engineering and Manufacturing Requirements

Design begins with a full barrel loft section

Sections are distributed to multiple designers

Each designer defines layers of coverage and builds the IML surface

The sections are merged together

IML Surface auto generated

Ply boundaries are projected to the IML surface in reverse sequence

©20

08 C

onfid

entia

l

Improving the Development Process

Analysis Shorter Development Time

More Optimized Structure

Design Manufacturing

ManufacturingDesign

Manufacturing

©20

08 C

onfid

entia

l

Simulation and Design: Communication Problem

PropertiesE11 E22 νννν12PCOMP

Load cases

Ply CoverageDrop-Off

SpliceDesign Rules

CAD DesignerStress Analyst

?

©20

08 C

onfid

entia

l

Abstraction and Structure in Composite Design and Simulation

Stress Analyst CAD Designer

Structure LayoutLaminate Specs

Structure LayoutLaminate Specs

Abstractions

CAE CAD

StructureGeometry

©20

08 C

onfid

entia

l

Key Elements of CAD-CAE Collaboration

Shared system geometry through native CAD interfaces

– Zones and Meshes are precise– “Logical” links between definitions (naming, context, other)

Fully updateable design model– Maintains design intent– Ability to make changes fast– IML surface generation for tooling, mating parts and DMU

etc.

High level communication between CAE and Composite Design Tool

– No intermediate steps such as manually created complex spreadsheets and documentation

Greater Efficiency for the analyst– Removal of non value-add model set-up for the analyst

Works for multiple part types– Not just panels

www.vistagy.com

Demonstrating a parallel development workflow

©20

08 C

onfid

entia

l

Aerospace Panel: System/Structure Geometry

ZONE1ZONE2

Bays Frames

StringersZONE3 ZONE4ZONE5

ZONE6ZONE7

ZONE8ZONE9

ZONE10

ZONE11ZONE12

ZONE13 ZONE14 ZONE15

ZONE16ZONE17

ZONE18 ZONE19 ZONE20

©20

08 C

onfid

entia

l

FiberSIM-SimXpert Enhanced Optimization Workflow

Zone LaminateOptimization

TransitionOptimization

ValidateTrue

Laminate

ValidateTrue

Laminate

Region Based Property Assignments

Region Laminate Specifications

Fib

erS

IM

Per Element Properties

Region Laminate Specifications

Sim

Xpe

rt

Work in Parallel

TransitionSpecifications

Sizing Laminate

UpdatesUpdates UpdatesUpdates

Detailed Analysis

©20

08 C

onfid

entia

l

Initial zones defined within CAE

SimXpertThickness Plot

Analyst completes initial sizing

Orientation of each layer tailored for maximum strength and stiffness to reduce number of layers

Neutral file created for ingestion to FiberSIM

©20

08 C

onfid

entia

l

... which Result in FiberSIM Zone/Plies

Simple import of neutral data format from CAE

Layers of coverage generated automatically

Designer can start to apply design rules

Additional details including automatic generation of IML surface for mating parts, manufacturing requirements etc.

©20

08 C

onfid

entia

l

Design Optimization Driving Zone Changes...

Sizing Specification from CAE adds thickness changes to some zones

This can be done either in CAE or CAD product

Zone Modification

SimXpertThickness Plot

©20

08 C

onfid

entia

l

... which Result in FiberSIM Zone/Ply Changes ...

Ply and Laminate changes incorporated with simple import of Laminate Specification change

Design intent is maintained and rules automatically applied

IML surface automatically re-generated for mating parts

©20

08 C

onfid

entia

l

... and can be Validated as a Ply-Based Analysis

Drop-offs and thickness variations are expressed with fidelity of mesh

– using FiberSIM generated mesh control curves

FiberSIM Simulation provides true thickness and fiber orientations

Load-cases are run against true Lay-up

– Failure indices– Stress, strain

Analysis for springback– Can be used to design

tool surface– Pass data back to design

SimXpertThickness Plot

©20

08 C

onfid

entia

l

Design: Generate springback corrected tool surface

Nodal displacements from analyst – cloud of points

Use CAD tools to warp surface

or

Create a new tool surface, then automatically transfer composite definition to the new surface

©20

08 C

onfid

entia

l

CAD / CAE Link for Composites: Key requirements are met

Productivity Enhancements for the Analyst – Automatic generation and assignment of properties

• By Region • Per Element

Direct communication of laminate specifications to design– Uses analysis property data directly– Eliminates the need for Excel and manual entry of stacking table– Applicable to many part types not supported by Excel based methods

Supports parallel work – Analyst and Designer can work simultaneously and independently– Efficiently exchange periodic updates – Made possible by FiberSIM’s unique ability to update design while

retaining design intent

©20

08 C

onfid

entia

l

CAD / CAE Link for Composites - Impact Analysis

Parallel Work, Productivity⇒Compressed Schedule⇒Reduced Manpower

Rapid Iterations ⇒More Design Studies⇒Reduced Weight and Cost

Validation of True Laminate (As-designed As-manufactured)⇒Reduced Uncertainty⇒Predictable Performance⇒Reduced Weight and Cost

www.vistagy.com