Our Sectors of Industry

As automation becomes more widespread across many industries, predicting and fine-tuning complex machine behavior is increasingly critical for optimizing performance. International engineering software provider Digital Product Simulation (DPS) was looking to develop a methodology for simulating the interaction of electronic controls with factory hardware. The combined strengths of Abaqus’ physical modeling and CATIA Systems’ logical modeling helped DPS “co-simulate” the behavior of a gantry robot in a feedback loop of data exchange.

Zollner Electronik AG engineers were tasked with designing a fully functional, fire-breathing mechatronic dragon for the German Further Drachenstich festival. The team used SIMPACK multi-body simulation software from Dassault Systèmes’ SIMULIA to generate and solve 3D models that predicted and visualized motion, coupling forces, and stresses on the entire flexible system. SIMPACK allowed Zollner engineers to design the complex robot without running extensive field tests. The software helped them solve a wide range of challenges, improve the motion and stability of the machine, and be fully confident in their final  design.

Long-time motorcycle manufacture Royal Enfield needs to find better ways to continue to produce the bike models that have long made them famous, while also incorporating the technology and performance that modern customers demand. By using SIMULIA structural durability and optimization technology throughout the design process of the engine and chassis, Royal Enfield engineers are able to rapidly improve performance and safety while reducing weight.

Yamaha Motor Company wanted to improve performance of its off-road motorcycle radiator assemblies and was looking for a way to reduce time-consuming real-world testing. Abaqus FEA from Dassault Systèmes SIMULIA provided accurate, realistic simulations of the simulations of the mechanism of motorcycle of motorcycle tipovers on the deformation of the components. Yamaha is now confident that its radiator assembly strength simulations accurately predict physical test results, has identified the optimum locations for countermeasures, and can use its highly reliable simulation tools for developing new, more effective designs.

Tasked with designing the LinkNYC communications kiosks for all the hazards of outdoor survival in a big city, TEN TECH LLC needed advanced simulation technology to ensure the robust functionality of these novel structures. 3DEXPERIENCE solutions on the cloud enabled the TEN TECH team to access the full portfolio of SIMULIA simulation tools, collaborate effectively, and achieve results efficiently. By working on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform, the TEN TECH team helped produce a robust design ready for manufacturing that is now operating successfully on the sidewalks of New York.

University students participating the NTNU Revolve team, a contestant in the international Formula Student racing competition, needed a way to design strong, lightweight, and cost-effective vehicle components. Using Dassault Systèmes’ SIMULIA portfolio, including Abaqus FEA, Tosca topology optimization and Isight automation tools, students were able to develop highly competitive but safe component designs.

European railcar manufacturer Stadler Rail needed to ensure the crashworthiness of a new bi-level passenger car (KISS) and the performance of its crash module. Realistic simulation with Abaqus FEA from SIMULIA, the Dassault Systèmes 3DEXPERIENCE application, enabled Stadler to analyze railcar  performance under head-on crash loads. Using Abaqus enabled Stadler to confirm that the KISS railcar design successfully fulfilled all requirements of the European standards while optimizing weight and reducing product development times.

Researchers at London Imperial College’s department of aeronautics were seeking ways to improve the strength, fracture response and damage tolerance of composite materials and graphene through the use of engineered microstructures. The team needed to develop methodologies for simulating and analyzing the properties of these materials, which are increasingly being used in aerospace, automotive, energy and other industries, for lightweighting and other sustainability goals. The Imperial College team developed a molecular-dynamics code needed to simulate the materials’ behavior using Abaqus finite element analysis (FEA) from Dassault Systèmes SIMULIA. Abaqus provided the ability to have different length and time scales in their analyses, such as using Explicit and Standard in different portions of a structure. Abaqus’ “plug-in friendliness” allowed the researchers to develop their own subroutines to complement and expand the software’s native capabilities. The ability to create “handshake” regions between Abaqus meshes was also important to the research.

With rising market demand for Lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries to power electric vehicles, AVL needed to identify the best way to package its customers’ battery cells for optimum thermal and electrical performance. AVL employed the electro-thermal capabilities in Abaqus Unified FEA, coupled with their proprietary software, to capture the characteristics of Li-ion cells and analyze thermal behavior in different battery system configurations.

Batteries we take for granted are actually complex assemblies, prone to a host of potential failures that could lead to short-circuiting, shortened product life, and runaway thermal events. SIMULIA and especially Abaqus are helping Romeo Power to model these and other failure modes.

Scientists watched with bated breath as the Philae lander left the European Space Agency’s Rosetta spacecraft and touched down on the surface of a comet last November after a 10-year, 4-billion-mile journey. Among those glued to their screens was Dr. Martin Hilchenbach, one of the original designers of the lander. He and his team used SIMPACK simulation software (now part of the Dassault Systèmes SIMULIA portfolio), between 1996 and the 2004 takeoff of Rosetta from Earth, to model scenarios for the Philae’s landing and guide design changes that helped ensure its survival.

To transform the legendary 1971 EVEX Porsche 910 combustion-powered car into an electrified supercar Kreisel Electric needed to design and build a battery pack, cooling system, gearbox and powertrain that would fit in the car’s available space. To achieve this, the company needed a solution that was robust yet flexible enough to enable the different disciplines involved to collaborate
while keeping costs and schedules in check. Kreisel Electric relied on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform and its Electro-Mobility Accelerator’s integrated applications that cover the entire development lifecycle from requirements to digital concept, design, simulation, manufacturing as well as overall project management.

Tadano Ltd. is the largest Japan-based manufacturer of cranes and aerial work platforms. They wanted to speed up the R&D process by establishing an environment that made it possible to validate development processes from an early stage while maintaining a high level of safety. Using Simpack multibody simulation software, they were able to simulate large-scale 3D vehicle models to significantly reduce their manufacturing prototype costs and time for rework.

The Medtronic Endovascular Therapies R&D group was looking to understand the in-vivo performance and surgical delivery of stent grafts to further optimize device behavior for better patient outcomes. Using Abaqus FEA and advanced probabilistic computational tools in Isight, engineers were able to identify key parameters, input manufacturing tolerances and variability, and improve
stent component performance, which was then verifi ed to be in good agreement with physical test results simulating a regulated 10-year-life product performance requirement.

Every day, medical device companies face the realities and responsibilities of developing, manufacturing, and commercializing innovative products. To be successful, companies continually need to balance cost, value, and time-to-market in producing products that are safe, easy to use, and at the right price, while complying with extensive government regulations and reimbursement. In addition, feedback from patients and healthcare professionals is becoming more important in developing new technologies. SIMULIA’s product testing and simulation solutions for medical device development provide a structured, integrated, yet flexible and modular collaborative development experience that ensures each engineer is 100% aware of his or her colleagues’ work with minimum effort. Furthermore, using physiological models of the human body throughout the digital design and testing process with to see the device’s actual behavior inside the body provides unprecedented power to arrive at the optimal design.

Clinicians at Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children wanted to identify the optimum blood-vessel-stent diameter that would repair one patient’s unique problems following failure of a previous implant. Researchers at University College London Institute of Cardiovascular Science used Dassault Systèmes’ SIMULIA Abaqus, in combination with patient image data, to create personalized, virtual models of the patient’s anatomy. The implantation of different sized stents was simulated to compare their effects on blood flow, pressure, and aneurysm coverage. SIMULIA tools helped the engineers and clinicians collaborate on visualizing the challenge and selecting the stent diameter that was the most effective in treating the patient, resulting in a successful outcome.

Stiffness properties of lumbar spinal units were calibrated using a connector-based model combining motion capture experiments and kinematic modeling. The predicted stiffness of L23 was used to calibrate the material properties of a detailed finite element (FE) model.

GN ReSound needed to design its more advanced, smaller hearing aids with greater precision in order to mitigate the potential for impact damage to the delicate receiver mechanism when dropped. Realistic simulation with Abaqus FEA software from Dassault Systèmes SIMULIA helped GN ReSound predict the effects of impact on their devices and design their products to withstand the stresses and strains of patient use. GN ReSound can design the hearing aids of the future with confidence in their quality and robustness, delivering the latest products to their customers in less time.

FEops wanted to contribute to further increasing the safety and efficacy of Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantations (TAVI). Abaqus software is a key component of FEops’ unique TAVIguide technology to create realistic models of stent-supported heart valve function before, during, and after valve implantation. SIMULIA solutions, used in conjunction with FEops proprietary software, enabled FEops to provide surgeons and cardiovascular device designers with a tool that allows them to pre-operatively visualize surgical procedures and accurately predict the behavior of the devices. This translates to time and cost savings for FEops’ customers and improved quality of care for patients.

Post-surgical complications are more common in elderly patients with weaker bones. Researchers at the Munich University of Applied Sciences wanted to create realistic models of different repair options to determine which were best for these osteoporosis patients. Dassault Systèmes SIMULIA’s Simpack software enabled the researchers to created detailed, flexible, multi-body simulations of broken bones and the surgical techniques used to repair them. Simpack models accurately captured damage that can result over time when abnormal bones respond to forces resulting from different methods of surgery.

As the firm providing tunneling expertise to the London Underground, Dr. Sauer and Partners faced complex design challenges that included tunnel geometry and alignment, limited clearance to existing foundations, a restricted worksite and strict settlement criteria. Abaqus/CEA and FEA, from Dassault Systèmes’
SIMULIA, were used to perform all 3D numerical analyses ahead of the main tunneling works, handling large, complex geometries with ease. 3D modeling and simulation of the major construction sequences of excavation and lining installation gave engineers valuable insights into the effects of the work at each stage of the project.

As glass has moved closer to center stage in architecture, it has also taken on a new role as a structural, load-bearing component. Heavy steel supports, and
strong aluminum mullion systems that capture glass panes by their edges, are now making way for thin cables, glass fins and point-supported glass (PSG). Stutzki Engineering employs Abaqus FEA to help design the material in this new role.

Energy consumption in the world is increasing. The growth in consumption is expected to be strongly driven by China, India and other non-OECD countries. Most of this consumption will be related to oil and gas, mainly for transportation and electricity. Oil and gas also are primary raw materials for a wide range of products including plastics and chemicals, and their usage is also increasing fast. This increase in the demand for oil and gas needs to be satisfied reliably and sustainably. How can we ensure that this happens? Extraction of oil and gas is a capital intensive activity; wells need to be drilled, offshore structures need to be erected, both well in advance of the actual oil and gas extraction. The oil and gas producer needs to plan out the expenditure and revenue well in advance to ensure profitability. Without a good profit, the producers will not produce, which

Clemson University wanted to build a real-time test bench simulation laboratory so that students or other non-experts could study the behavior of huge wind turbines in a controlled and repeatable
environment. Clemson used SIMPACK software from SIMULIA to analyze the effects of full-scale mechanical and electrical loads on multi-body models of a complete wind turbine nacelle.

Anticipating that the trend towards bigger wind turbines would dictate a need for much larger test rigs than were available, Schaeffler wanted to design and construct the best test rig possible for their large-size rolling bearing customers. Abaqus FEA helped Schaeffler design a virtual prototype with which they could carry out stress analysis and strength verification in order to quantify the critical operating conditions of their huge new test rig. Their Abaqus models enabled Schaeffler to prove their bearing test rig reliable and applicable for all types of large-size bearings. The company can now develop more detailed
instructions for operating and maintaining finished turbines. This helps them provide their customers with more precise recommendations about the optimum location and construction of their wind turbines, and also support customers in other industries.

NSE Composites needed to analyze loads, stresses, and fatigue for an innovative, sweep-twist wind turbine blade design that is targeted to capture significantly more energy on light-windspeed sites. Using SIMULIA’s Abaqus finite element analysis (FEA), engineers were able to validate overall blade twisting behavior as well as buckling and fatigue. Calculations were in good agreement with earlier “section” analysis techniques as well as the physical and field testing that followed. Realistic simulation enabled NSE to validate a Sandia-funded sweep-twist design that captures 12 percent more energy.