Periodic Report Summary - EXCITING (Exact Geometry Simulation for Optimized Design of Vehicles and Vessels)
The EU project EXCITING is devoted to the challenging problems that arise in connection with Isogeometric Analysis (IGA). In particular the project is concerned with the application of IGA in the design process of vehicles and vessels. The consortium, which consists of 5 academic and 4 industrial institutions, provides a firm theoretical background and encompasses a wide range of applications.
The project leader is Johannes Kepler University, located in Linz, Austria. The other academic partners are the Technical University of Munich (Germany), SINTEF (Norway), INRIA (France) and the National Technical University of Athens (Greece). The industrial partners are Andritz Hydro (Austria), Siemens (Germany), Det Norske Veritas AS (Norway) and Hellenic Register of Shipping (Greece).
The project focuses on IGA, which provides a new approach for the design and simulation of free form shapes. Specific applications under investigation are ship hulls and propellers, turbo chargers and car frames for the railway and the automotive industry. Traditionally, the design process is realized with the help of CAD (Computer Aided Design) and then transferred to a format which can be handled by a numerical simulation tool (e.g. a FEM (Finite Element Method) solver). Unfortunately, for free form shapes such as the blades of a turbine, this transfer cannot be done exactly but introduces some error. This is due to the fact that a free-form shape has to be approximated by simple geometric primitives such as tetrahedra or hexahedral elements. For the simulation of free-form shapes, however, it is important to represent the object which is to be simulated as accurately as possible, since geometric errors may falsify the simulation results.
Isogeometric Analysis makes it possible to use an enhanced CAD model directly for numerical simulation. This approach possesses two main advantages. First, the numerical simulation of the behavior of a physical object produces more accurate results when it is represented exactly by the geometric model. Second, the time-consuming transfer between different descriptions of a geometric object can be eliminated. Those effects become even more dramatic if the simulation step is part of a (automated) design loop, e.g. in order to optimize the shape of a ship hull. The benefit for the involved industrial partners is obvious. The optimized design process enhances the competitiveness of the products.
In the first part of the project we achieved the following goals on the way to bridging the gap between CAD and numerical simulation methods. They can be classified roughly as basic research and direct applications.
The results that have been realized in close cooperation with the industrial partners are:
(1) Design of an enhanced CAD model for blades that is suitable for numerical simulation.
(2) Development of a CAD tool, creating a parametric ship-hull model with respect to principal dimensions and other integral parameters.
(3) Isogeometric analysis of car components based on small displacement theory.
However, the project enabled us also to gain a deeper theoretical insight in some problems which shall clear the way for future applications that will be tackled in the second part of the project.
(1) Isogeometric BEM wave-resistance calculations of an immersed spheroid.
(2) Solution of 2D test problem with isogeometric technology: pipe and deformable wall.
(3) Proof of concept for isogeometric design optimization in structural mechanics.
In the remaining time of the project these results will be applied to further real-world examples. These are for instance the simulation of a rotating turbine blade under the impact of the bypassing water or the stress of a certain car components under external forces.
The project leader is Johannes Kepler University, located in Linz, Austria. The other academic partners are the Technical University of Munich (Germany), SINTEF (Norway), INRIA (France) and the National Technical University of Athens (Greece). The industrial partners are Andritz Hydro (Austria), Siemens (Germany), Det Norske Veritas AS (Norway) and Hellenic Register of Shipping (Greece).
The project focuses on IGA, which provides a new approach for the design and simulation of free form shapes. Specific applications under investigation are ship hulls and propellers, turbo chargers and car frames for the railway and the automotive industry. Traditionally, the design process is realized with the help of CAD (Computer Aided Design) and then transferred to a format which can be handled by a numerical simulation tool (e.g. a FEM (Finite Element Method) solver). Unfortunately, for free form shapes such as the blades of a turbine, this transfer cannot be done exactly but introduces some error. This is due to the fact that a free-form shape has to be approximated by simple geometric primitives such as tetrahedra or hexahedral elements. For the simulation of free-form shapes, however, it is important to represent the object which is to be simulated as accurately as possible, since geometric errors may falsify the simulation results.
Isogeometric Analysis makes it possible to use an enhanced CAD model directly for numerical simulation. This approach possesses two main advantages. First, the numerical simulation of the behavior of a physical object produces more accurate results when it is represented exactly by the geometric model. Second, the time-consuming transfer between different descriptions of a geometric object can be eliminated. Those effects become even more dramatic if the simulation step is part of a (automated) design loop, e.g. in order to optimize the shape of a ship hull. The benefit for the involved industrial partners is obvious. The optimized design process enhances the competitiveness of the products.
In the first part of the project we achieved the following goals on the way to bridging the gap between CAD and numerical simulation methods. They can be classified roughly as basic research and direct applications.
The results that have been realized in close cooperation with the industrial partners are:
(1) Design of an enhanced CAD model for blades that is suitable for numerical simulation.
(2) Development of a CAD tool, creating a parametric ship-hull model with respect to principal dimensions and other integral parameters.
(3) Isogeometric analysis of car components based on small displacement theory.
However, the project enabled us also to gain a deeper theoretical insight in some problems which shall clear the way for future applications that will be tackled in the second part of the project.
(1) Isogeometric BEM wave-resistance calculations of an immersed spheroid.
(2) Solution of 2D test problem with isogeometric technology: pipe and deformable wall.
(3) Proof of concept for isogeometric design optimization in structural mechanics.
In the remaining time of the project these results will be applied to further real-world examples. These are for instance the simulation of a rotating turbine blade under the impact of the bypassing water or the stress of a certain car components under external forces.