Abstract Modeling Enables
Aerospace Corporation Project to Reap Benefits of Collaborative
Engineering Processes
Duration - 1 hour (approx)
Click to Register
Abstract Modeling Enables Aerospace Corporation Project to Reap Benefits of Collaborative Engineering Processes
Abstract
About one quarter of all space-borne sensors being developed for NASA and Security Space applications are overrunning their budget and schedule allocations by factors of 2X or more. A substantial improvement in the cycle time of development for these systems is needed while retaining adequate system performance levels with high reliability. Collaborative engineering practices based on new abstract modeling technology promise significant reductions in project cost and delivery time.
This presentation describes how a multi-disciplinary design team from The Aerospace Corporation utilized a unified performance engineering workspace powered by abstract modeling to support a collaborative engineering process for the design of space optical systems while still leveraging their off-the-shelf CAD and CAE (simulation) tools for evaluating structural, thermal and optical performance. The author will present results of use of this approach on a current flight hardware program, with an emphasis on the significant productivity improvements that were realized. Comparison of simulation results to empirical test results will also be discussed.
What Is Abstract Modeling
An abstract model is a functional model containing all the engineering data (performance requirements/metrics, material properties, boundary conditions, and loads) for a part or assembly that is independent of the particular design geometry. With an abstract model, engineering analysis data is reapplied to the model when the geometry changes, and you easily re-run multiple “what if” conceptual analyses. Teams can document engineering “best practices” workflows abstractly step-by-step, and capture that domain knowledge in reusable and modifiable templates. Abstract modeling enables discipline engineers to assess the effects of their design modifications on the other discipline aspects of the design without having to be able to run the underlying codes of those disciplines themselves. Multiple versions of the CAD geometry become the inputs that drive the abstract model and the resulting performance simulation models are automatically built, analyzed and results generated with little additional work by the simulation domain experts. Entire project teams are able to quickly view the system level engineering results versus the design requirements in an easy-to-comprehend project dashboard. Work in process data for an entire project cutting across multiple organizational disciplines is automatically captured via the abstract model enabling model re-use as well as results traceability throughout the life of the project.
Design of Space Borne Sensors - Abstract Modeling In Use
An Aerospace Corporation project engineering team comprised of
optical, mechanical, structural, and thermal engineers utilized recent
advances in abstract modeling to augment and accelerate the evaluation
of thermally-induced structural deformations on the optical performance
of a flight sensor.
By utilizing an abstract model approach, the team had access to CAD and
CAE information across multiple engineering disciplines and tools
without the need for each simulation discipline to have direct
knowledge of how to run all the underlying existing CAD and CAE
packages. The domain experts utilized an abstract model to
evaluate multi-physics interactions in a very complex opto-mechanical
assembly in a near-real time manner that would be impossible with
traditional tools and approaches. The abstract model, along with
the single engineering workspace, provided the team with a work in
progress simulation environment that is independent of the underlying
CAD/CAE tools used in the design process. Because the abstract
model tracks requirements and results independent of geometry, the team
had access to a dashboard view of performance data/results for each
design iteration. Abstract modeling technology gave the whole team
including simulation domain experts, design engineers, program
management, and financial representatives the ability to complete “real
time” design reviews. These design reviews were performed with the full
quantitative and visualization power of the robust multi-disciplinary
design and simulation data rather than the fragmented and thin results
abstractions typically captured via PowerPoint snapshots, Excel
spreadsheets and Word/HTML/PDF reports.
Specific results of the project will be shared during webinar and a detailed white paper will be made available to attendees.
About
the Presenters:
David A. Thomas, Ph.D.
Background
PhD in Optical Sciences from the University of Arizona.
28 years of experience, primarily with the optical engineering of space-borne electro-optical sensors for NASA and national defense applications
Current position / tasks
Senior optical project engineer for a space-borne reconnaisance sensor program
Malcolm Panthaki
Background
BS in Civil Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology in India, and MS in Structural Engineering and Computer Graphics from Cornell University.
Mr. Panthaki has been at the cutting edge of CAE software development since 1987. He started his career as a CAE software engineer at an engineering consulting firm. He later moved to ABAQUS Inc., where he led the effort to develop the interactive environment, "ABAQUS/CAE." Mr. Panthaki left ABAQUS in 1994 to build a technology framework that could handle the complexity of CAE data, processes and results in one common data model.
Mr. Panthaki has provided software consulting services for CAE projects including Sandia National Labs and NASA.
He formed Comet Solutions in 2001.
Agenda
Welcome & Introduction
Matthew Ladzinski, NAFEMS North America
Multi-Disciplinary Product Development
David A. Thomas, The Aerospace Corporation
Q & A Session
David A. Thomas, The Aerospace Corporation
Malcolm Panthaki, Comet Solutions
Closing
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Engineers rely on computer modelling and simulation methods and tools as vital components of the product development process. As these methods develop at an ever-increasing pace, the need for an independent, international authority on the use of this technology has never been more apparent.
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Companies from numerous industries and every part of the globe have invested heavily in engineering technologies such as Finite Element Analysis and Computational Fluid Dynamics.
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