Coupling of Computer-Aided Methods: Supporting Product Developer During Embodiment Synthesis

The high complexity during the development of new product generations is nowadays one of the biggest challenges in the product development process. One solution to support the product developer is the use of computer-aided methods. These methods allow simulating various physical behaviors in order to predict the validity of the new product generation. Furthermore, the integration of those methods into optimization procedures allows generating optimal design proposals. One example for this is the topology optimization. However, those methods are limited because they do not consider the results of previous simulations or information from other domains in a fully automated way. This work proposes a strategic approach to overcome the current challenges by coupling different simulation and optimization methods. By this, newly coupled computer-aided methods are developed in order to support the product developer during embodiment synthesis. The presented coupled methods show the benefits of this strategy. For example, the linkage of the topology optimization with the form fill simulation was carried out. Hereby, the calculation of the fiber orientations is done in each iteration of the topology optimization process. This results in initial design proposals for parts made of fiber-reinforced polymers which consider the local anisotropies caused by the manufacturing process. Another example for the successful coupling of existing methods is the merging of topology optimization and multi-body simulation. This allows reducing the energy consumption of accelerated systems by minimizing the inertia of moving structures within the topology optimization process. The presented coupled computer-aided methods are based on established and commercially available tools. This ensures a short-term availability of the developed methods for product developer. Therefore, additional qualification measures and long training periods are not required.