Lifecycle Simulation NX Develop 3D

8/17/2019 Lifecycle Simulation NX Develop 3D

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SiemenS

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NX LifecycLeSiMULATiONJULY / aUGUSt 2010

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the foUrTeNeTS Of

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JULy / AUGUST 2010 SPonSoreD BY SiemenS PLm Software WWW.SieMeNS.cOM/NX

It is no longer acceptable to have experts working independently,creating geometry from scratch and conducting arcane FEAsimulations on abstract geometry. If product development is tobe accelerated and the goal of better, cheaper and more efficientproducts is to be reached, then something different is required.

NX provides a range of tools for product simulation thatintegrate directly into the product development platform. Theserange from the Stress and Vibration wizard-based tools deliveredwith every NX license, through to the more advanced NXSimulation tools that bring static, modal and thermal analysesdirectly to the NX interface.

This integrated approach means that many firms use NX astheir core platform for both Design and Simulation, a primeexample being the Acura division of Honda. Looking to replace a

heavy magnesium gearbox casting with a thin walled aluminiumstructure for its Le Mans prototype, the Acura design team wasable to create and update new design iterations with over 4,000features in under 30 minutes. Once done, a single team membercan evaluate its performance in under three hours and feed theresults directly back into the design workflow - a process thatwould previously have taken ten days.

teChnoLoGY

Since the merger of Unigraphics Solutionsand SDRC nearly eight years ago, the NXproduct has been the flagship offering fromSiemens PLM Software. The union broughttogether expertise in geometry creation,manufacturing knowledge and know-how inCAM, deep simulation (CAE) knowledge as

well as data management with Teamcenter. One area that hasadvanced the most is analysis and here Siemens PLM createda suite of NX Simulation software. This revolutionised analysisin NX, offering a huge raft of tools and technologies to helpunderstand the behaviour of a wide range of products.

In developing these next generation simulation tools,Siemens PLM Software identified four cornerstones of

Computer Aided Engineering (CAE) which would be built intoits technology: those of integration, multi-disciplines, analysis& test correlation and openness. Let’s take a closer look atexactly what each of these means.

1 inteGration

‘‘nX SimULation revoLUtioniSeDanaLYSiS in nX, offerinGa hUGe raft of tooLS anDteChnoLoGieS to heLPUnDerStanD the BehavioUr of awiDe ranGe of ProDUCtS’’


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The simulation world has historically beensplit into several disciplines. Finite Ele-ment Analysis (FEA) deals with structuraland modal performance and behaviour.Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD)deals with both fluid flow and heat transfer.Motion Simulation deals with assembliesin motion and fatigue studies a product’sperformance with respect to time.

Traditionally, each of these simulationprocesses have been conducted in isolation,but the introduction of multiple disciplinesis changing this by creating an environ-ment in which the results and findingsfrom each can influence the others.

One customer already taking advantage ofNX’s multi-disciplinary capabilities is

Keyria, a leader in turnkey solutions forbuilding materials. The company makeshuge machines that produce buildingmaterials such as bricks, concrete blocks,moulded plaster, many of which requireautomation in very high temperature condi-tions. Keyria’s team uses NX Nastran, NXThermal, and NX Flow products to assistwith simulating its products. The team man-aged to cut the research and developmentcycle for a brand new ‘force air’ industrialoven system from one year to two monthsand through the use of comprehensive sim-ulation also managed to deliver some prettydramatic energy savings in the system.

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2 mULti-DiSCiPLineS

3 anaLYSiS & teSt CorreLation

NX delivers its analysis and test correlationtools in two key modules - FE Model Cor-relation and FE Model Updating. FE ModelCorrelation supports the pre-test planningprocess, and offers import/export of dataplus tools to compare physical and digitaltests side by side. The pre-test planning iskey, as the digital simulations can be usedto conduct modal analyses, which can thenbe used to position sensors exactly wherethey’re needed, rather than using guess

work. Meanwhile, FE Model Updating al-lows digital simulation models to be updatedto ensure that they match real life test data.

While many CAE software vendors espousethe digitalisation of test, the facts are thatphysical testing is a way of life and is goingto remain so for the foreseeable future.With that in mind, it’s important to be ableto form a synergy between digital simula-tion and physical testing.

Can simulation be used to assist with pre-paring physical test rigs, to optimise themand fine-tune them to achieve the mostaccurate results possible? And can physical

test results be used to add confidence thatdigital simulation work is accurate andmatches physical, real-world results?

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(think: Macros) to get users up to speed asquickly as possible. To explore things a littlefurther, the Knowledge Fusion environmentwas introduced into NX’s predecessor sometime ago and has become the foundation forautomation and customisation within NX.Using this along with more recent develop-ments, such as the Product Template Stu-

dio, allow users to capture best practices notonly in terms of simulation, but in terms ofmany other areas of the system (modelling,manufacturing etc). Here, easy-to-use toolscan be created that store and formaliseexpertise and knowledge and these can thenbe distributed to non-specialist users.

In the world of simulation openness is thekey to providing an environment in whichstandard software solutions can be cust-omised and automated and integrated withincreasingly common in-house applications.

Siemens PLM Software has a reputationfor openness, from its licensing of the Para-solid and D-Cubed engines used in many of

today’s leading applications, through to theestablishment of processes, workflows andbest practices using the JT format. Withinthe Simulation space, NX Open provides anenvironment in which organisations can usestandard programming technologies (.NET,C++) as well as journalling capabilities


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Firstly, the designer can’t typically pass simulation data ontothe specialist for further work. Yes, results sets can be viewed andinspected, but if the specialist needs to rework or enhance theinitial simulation, it needs to be redone. This introduces delays,as models need to be rebuilt, often by de-featuring or abstractingthe core 3D CAD geometry, or in some cases rebuilding themodel from scratch.

Secondly, it creates a barrier for organisations looking touse their specialists as mentors to the design or engineeringdepartment. The knowledge of best practices and process/workflow used by the specialist can’t easily be formalised andreused by the designer or engineer. Data formats are mismatchedas well as the age-old problem of a disconnect between language/terminology.

nX naStran aS an enaBLerTo solve many of these problems, Siemens PLM Softwareoffers three levels of products in its CAE suite, a ll powered bycommon technology and applications including NX Nastran.The base level NX offering features wizards to solve part-based

structural and modal simulations integrated into core NX. Themid-range NX Design Simulation is a natural extension to partdesign, offering structural, modal and thermal simulation,again integrated directly into NX. The high-end offering isCAD-independent and offers system simulation in addition tostructural, modal, buckling, dynamics, and heat transfer. It alsogoes into the realms of non-linear analysis. All three offeringsshare the same underlying platforms: NX Nastran provides thesolver technology, Parasolid provides the geometry handlingkernel whilst Synchronous Technology turns on the geometryafterburners.

For those wanting to take a holistic approach to simulation thisnot only means a common platform for geometry sharing, but alsothat the simulation set-ups and results are equally as transferable,with data able to be passed up and down the process.

For the designer / engineer, preliminary simulation workcan be carried out during the design process then passed ontothe specialist / analyst for further work. Using the ProductTemplate Studio it also means that the specialist can create ‘subapplications’ that encapsulate established best practices andworkflows. These can then be reused by the designer / engineerto carry out common simulation tasks and first pass validationswithout requiring the involvement of the specialist, who canconcentrate on the trickier, more involved work.

In terms of geometry transfer, this also gives rise to someadditional benefits. By using a common geometry platform, productform can be manipulated, reworked and shared between anyoneinvolved in the process. This not only leads to a greater use ofsimulation, but more importantly through the use of best practiceand tools that are task- and knowledge-appropriate, the products

that come out of the end of the development process are of greaterquality and more suitable to their performance requirements.

for many years, CAD vendors have beenespousing the benefits of bringing simulationfurther forward in the product developmentprocess. The argument goes that by providingthe designer or engineer with simulation toolsproducts can be tested, validated and optimisedmore quickly, with less recourse to physical

prototyping and costly rework later on. However, the fact remainsthat many simulation tasks still require a more experiencedspecialist at the helm. As a result, many organisations that usesimulation within the design process have two sets of tools.

For the designer or engineer this means a set of tools thatare built directly into the geometry modelling system and allow

rapid validation and results inspection. For the specialist thisis typically a higher-end suite of applications that are used toperform highly complex simulation tasks. This bifurcationof simulation tools and processes causes several disconnects.First and foremost, both sets of tool will typically use differentunderlying solver technologies. This introduces several problemsinto the workflow.

‘‘BY USinG a CommonGeometrY PLatform,ProDUCt form Can Be

maniPULateD, reworkeDanD ShareD BetweenanYone invoLveD inthe ProCeSS’’


an inteGrateDaPProaCh to

SimULation


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Coupling multiple-disciplines in a singlesimulation is the next stage in the evolutionof simulation technologies. While discreettechnologies that allow structural andheat/fluid flow simulations have beenavailable for some time, a multi-disciplinaryapproach sees these combine into

something much more powerful.

SimULation PartnerShiPAddressing the shift to a multi-disciplinary approach, SiemensPLM has partnered with Maya Heat Transfer Technologies(mayahtt.com) to create a set of deeply integrated Fluid Flow

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workfLow: SoLvinG ComPLeXitY with mULtiPhYSiCS

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Using a combina-tion of NX Flowand NX Thermal it

is discovered that aradiator assembly isn’tpulling enough heatout of the system.It is only achieving36kW whereas 41kWis required for thisengine.

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The single fandesign concept isquickly modified

using SynchronousTechnology to takethe existing design(including fanand mountingsub-assemblies)and create a twofan variant.

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Further simulationis conducted toensure that thenew design variant

achieves theperformancerequirementof over 41kW.

Structural and modalsimulation isconducted to ensurethat the mounting

scheme will supportthe new designvariant with therequired performanceparameters.

an iSSUe with heat eXtraCtion moDeLLinG DeSiGn ChanGe

vaLiDation with fLow SimULation StrUCtUraL SimULation4

and Heat Transfer add-ons (commonly collected under theumbrella term Computational Fluid Dynamics) for its NXproduct development system. These are offered as basicand advanced applications which, like the rest of NX’s CAEsolutions, can be used to create specific new-to-CFD designerwizard-based add-ons, where detailed control is offset against aguided usage scenario that encapsulates best practices.

fLow anD thermaLIn the base level, NX Flow and NX Thermal provide a rich setof controls and usage scenarios where users, with experienceof the system and a solid understanding of the operating andperformance requirements for their products, can conductdetailed simulations. Further on from that are the advancedflavours of these add-ons adding capabilities formerly onlyavailable to ‘rocket scientists’.

What’s interesting is that the various modules and theunderlying datasets are all based on the same core technologyand the data is transferable between each, both up and downthe cost and complexity structure, meaning that an organisation

can license the most appropriate tool for the experience,knowledge and functional requirements of its design andsimulation team.

The various modules allow users to conduct all manner ofFlow and Thermal simulations in isolation, but also provide theability to couple together the two disciplines to achieve a muchmore holistic understanding of a product’s performance.

When this capability is combined with the powerful geometrytools within NX, such as Synchronous Technology whichallows rapid creation, repurposing and abstraction of ‘design’geometry, the result is an environment in which simulation canbe used to truly optimise design rather than simply validate it.

Alongside these tools, there are also several special purposeadd-ons that take very industry-specific terminology, workflowsand best practice and deliver a set of tools designed to solve

very specific problems. While the Electronic Systems Coolingmodule is going to be applicable to a large number of users,there’s some enjoyment in the knowledge that there’s alsoa module to assist with the simulation of Space Systems(satellites as well as other ‘out of atmosphere’ vehicles).

a CLoSer Look atnX fLow anDnX thermaL


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heaD firSt:THe NeeD

fOR SPeeD

for a relatively small company Adams Golf, a Texas-based golf club and equipment manufacturer,certainly caused a stir in the golfing world lastyear when it launched its Speedline FAST 10driver - a club that retains a large driver head buthas low aerodynamic drag force. It was also thecompany’s first product to integrate both Siemens

PLM Software’s NX Flow application for CFD analysis as well asaerodynamic wind tunnel testing into the product developmentprocess. “We are a small fish in a very big pond so we areconstantly competing with other larger companies to gain marketshare. NX Flow has definitely given us a competitive edge,” saysJeff Albertsen, a design engineer at Adams Golf.

The creation of the Speedline FAST 10 started when Adams

Golf began noticing a peculiar trend amongst golfers. “We’veseen driving distances actually decrease over the last couple ofyears,” claims Albertsen. “I think the trigger was driving distanceon the PGA Tour. These are obviously the best players in theworld so if there is a trend there, it’s most likely to be a trend inthe rest of the industry. We decided to test why is this happening.

Why are the distances decreasing?”Through extensive player and

aerodynamic wind tunneltesting Adams Golfdiscovered that large MOI(Moment of Inertia)club heads, those withdisplaced volumesat or near 460cc, aresubject to aerodynamicforces large enough toimpact club head speed.So, they identifiedthe problem that as

manufacturers strove tomeet all the requirements ofthe ruling authorities of golf,namely the Royal and Ancient GolfClub of St Andrews (R&A) and theUnited States Golf Association (USGA),they converged on driver head shapes that havebeen a detriment to driving distance among allgolfers due to poor aerodynamics.

As a result of these revelations Adams Golf set itself adesign challenge of creating a ‘large footprint’ 460cc driverhead with low drag to increase club head speed and ultimatelydistance. “This discovery led us to go down the path ofdesigning large heads that were low aerodynamic drag,”confirms Albertsen. “We wanted to offer a driver that would

hit the ball the furthest of any other driver in the golf store.”In order to improve on the design of the original

Speedline in a new driver model - Speedline FAST 10 -Adams Golf decided to use NX Flow simulation software.For the past seven years the company had already beenusing NX CAD and rendering software in its productdevelopment process and then just over two years ago

CaSe StUDY


PGA Tour average driving distance shows slight decrease

in distance

D i s t a n c e (

y a r d s )

Year

325.0

315.0

305.0

295.0

285.0

275.0

265.0

255.0

1965 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Players 1-5

Players 5-15Top 50

Players 30-70

Players 30-125

Players 90-125

●1 PGA Tour

statistics showinghow drive distances

have declined

since 2006. This,according to

Adams Golf, is dueto a reduction in

club speed due to

aerodynamic forcesas head size has

increased

●2 Big in size, lowon drag: Adams

Golf’s Speedline

FAST 10 driver

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7/8SiemenS PLm Software veLoCitY SerieS JULy / AUGUST 2010 DeveLoP3D.Com

●3 NX Flow was usedto locate critical

areas in multiple

head designsmeaning fewer

prototypes needed

to be made

●4 Stress plot

using NX AdvancedSimulation

decided to implement NX Flow into this process in order toperform CFD analyses on each iteration of the design as it isbeing developed.

“Speedline FAST 10 driver was really the first driver we wereable to go in and make design changes based on the use of theNX Flow software,” says Albertsen. “We were able to make subtlemodifications to the face area and the transition areas from theface to the body of the club to help keep that airflow attached andreduce drag even more. Using the NX Flow software, we were ableto run simulations on several different iterations of the designand ultimately find the final design that was the lowest drag.”

Proof of the PUDDinGOnce the Adams Golf design team was happy with the 3D modela prototype was produced which then underwent real player aswell as wind tunnel testing to further validate the final design.“Every time we get a prototype in we run wind tunnel testing andwe also do player testing. This is just to validate the simulationresults,” comments Albertsen. “To this date since we have startedusing NX Flow we haven’t had to make any changes, the physical

data has matched up pretty well with the simulation.”The key advantage for Adams Golf of using NX is that allthose involved in the product development process work in anintegrated environment. So, Adams Golf’s engineers are ableto leverage the same models that the industrial designers usefor CAD and rendering in order to undertake analyses and runsimulations. “We can take our 3D model, just click a buttonon the NX screen and we’re in stress and strain analysis. Clickanother button and we’re in a deflection analysis. Click anotherbutton and we’re running flow simulations. So being able tointegrate all those different analysis tools right into our 3Dmodelling software has benefited us greatly,” explains Albersten.

Jan Larsson, EMEA marketing director at Siemens PLMSoftware, comments, “With Adams Golf it is a typical use of NX.The value that they get out of NX and where they really benefit

from this integrated solution is being able to do a very quickanalysis, get the results and then go back to the design phase, inthis case change the club heads, to optimise the design based on

the analysis results. So, when they look at airflow around theclub heads they can make a decision very quickly whether

this will be a product that works properly or not and if notthey can go back and do alternative designs and look atthe results very quickly and iterate the design around theanalysis results.”

SPeeD to marketBy using 3D design together with analysis tools, Adams Golf

has also been able to shorten its product development cyclesignificantly and, in the highly-competitive golf equipment market,

this means launching new products more frequently. “The typical

manufacturing process for us - from conception to seeing actualprototype parts - is anywhere from 30 to 60 days,” says Albertsen.“Now using the NX Flow software, we can design, test the design,validate that it’s going to work and actually have a real-time workingconcept in probably less than 20 days. So by using the NX software,we can cut down on manufacturing lead times, we can cut down onmanufacturing costs, we can cut down on testing times.”

The Speedline FAST 10, with its large dimension and lowaerodynamic drag force that enables increased club head speedsand greater distance for golfers, was launched in 2009 to highacclaim. Since launch the driver has not only been involved inseveral tour victories but has also received a number of awardsincluding a gold award in the Golf Digest 2010 Hot List. AdamsGolf was also the first golf club manufacturer to be honouredwith a Progressive Manufacturing (PM100) award for its

application of CFD analysis in the design process.NX product development software is now integral to its innovation

and success and as Tim Reed, Adams Golf’s vice president ofresearch and development, concludes, “The role NX ultimatelyplays is speed to market, providing us extraordinary flexibility andadaptability to the ever-changing environment of the golf industry.” www.adamsgolf.com

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‘‘SinCe we have StarteD USinGnX fLow we haven’t haD to makeanY ChanGeS, the PhYSiCaL Data[from winD tUnneL teStinG]haS matCheD UP PrettY weLLwith the SimULation’’

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Using Teamcenter, it’s not only possible to manage who hasaccess to simulation data, but it can be used to control how,when and by whom the simulation tools can be accessed. It canbe used to store CAE-specific variations of geometry that havebeen through an abstraction process, and simulation users candocument potential design change and feed that informationback into the process.

With tools such as Synchronous Technology, it’s possible forsimulation-focussed users to create new part variants, experimentwith design change to solve any issues raised, to overcomeproblems found during the simulation process, rather than havingto go back to the design team to request redesign. Problems canbe found, dealt with, them information fed back into the system tobe rationalised by those responsible. Results and documentationis made accessible to those that need it, without the need forcostly post-processing systems – it’s all handled in a tracked andmanaged environment within Teamcenter.

Data reUSeThe real power of lifecycle management, particularly in terms

of CAE, is when the next project comes around. Anyonethat’s involved in product development knows that issuesoften repeat themselves and time is often wasted duplicatingthe same simulation jobs with slightly different inputs andrequirements. However, because Teamcenter provides thiswealth of information in a controlled and managed system,it’s dramatically easier to find how similar issues were solvedin previous projects. Data can be reused where needed, as canworkflows and processes, or more granular information can beextracted from previous projects. It is all there, searchable andavailable as and when required.

A recent report by research firm, AberdeenGroup, said thatbest-in-class companies are almost twice as likely as the industryaverage to manage simulation and product data relationships.The question is, are you ready to be best in class?

the vaLUe ofmanaGinG

SimULation Data

for many design and manufacturingorganisations, simulation holds the key tobeing able to produce higher quality, betterdifferentiated products, and delivering them ina shorter timeframe. The ability to thoroughlytest, validate and optimise a product long beforegetting anywhere near tooling up for production,

has become an integral part of the product development process.

With this movement towards simulation-driven productdevelopment comes the inevitable problem of data management.As we test and optimise more, all the data associated with aproduct’s development grows with each iteration, with eachsolution set created, with each associated design change.

Alongside this, the nature of the information is changing.In addition to the geometric and manufacturing informationwe also need to capture simulation data in a digital form. Thiscritical information needs to be managed and made available fortraceability, reuse and learning. It also needs to be protected asit contains much of the real intellectual property and knowledgewithin our organisations.

takinG ControLSo how can we regain control over the rapidly expanding assets

we create? Over the past few years Siemens has been enhancingintegration between its simulation tools and its industry leadingProduct Lifecycle Management (PLM) solution, Teamcenter.

teChnoLoGY

DeveLoP3D Com JULy / AUGUST 2010 SPonSoreD BY SiemenS PLm Software WWW SieMeNS cOM/NX

‘‘BeCaUSe teamCenterProviDeS a weaLthof information ina ControLLeD anDmanaGeD SYStem, it’S

DramatiCaLLY eaSierto finD how SimiLariSSUeS were SoLveD inPrevioUS ProJeCtS’’

Lifecycle Simulation NX Develop 3D

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