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Every year, EnginSoftpublishes a special Englishlanguage edition of itsNewsletter to inform thecommunity of CAE and iDPtechnology users about thecompany and to provideupdates on the internationalprojects and activities inwhich it is involved.
As regards softwaretechnologies, the company'score activity is thepromotion of modeFRONTIER, the avant-gardeenvironment for PIDO
(Process Integration and Multi-Objective CollaborativeDesign Optimization), produced by the associated ES.TEC.O.,EnginSoft Optimization Technologies S.r.l.
The modeFRONTIER distribution network has grown rapidlyand extensively, confirming the success of the product. Thedistributors that have been active for years, first amongwhom is CDAJ in Japan, have been joined by many newmembers. They together form a highly skilled team and alarger, stronger network. Above all, though, agreements havebeen made for integration and international distribution, asin the case of TNO-TASS, MAGMA (which has launched theconverging product MAGMAfrontier), Moldflow, MathWorks,FTI and others. Furthermore, EnginSoft has opened branchesor set up joint ventures. EnginSoft and ES.TEC.O. are thuspresent directly in the United States (ESTECO North AmericaInc.), in Scandinavia (ESTECO Nordic AB), in Germany(ESTECO GmbH), in France (ESTECO France S.a.s.), in theUnited Kingdom (ESTECO UK Ltd.) and in Spain (with APERIOTecnologia en Ingegneria S.L.). In addition, an importantpartnership has been made with Dynardo GmbH whoseOptiSlang software is the state of the art product inreliability analysis: The integration of the two companies'software technologies forms an unbeatable productworldwide. It should be emphasized that the distributionnetwork that has been created is, above all, an extremelywide and multifaceted network of skills capable of providingeffective customer support in the implementation of thePIDO approach to design and production processes.
But the year has not only seen EnginSoft committed to thepromotion of modeFRONTIER. True to its mission ofeffectively supporting companies in the transformation ofthe design process, facilitating a rational transfer of
technology, knowledge and methods, EnginSoft has furtherextended its activities in training, research and raisingscientific awareness. The TCN Consortium of which EnginSoftis a member, achieved important new objectives in the fieldof training during the year. Managed by EnginSoft, theseactivities included the winning of new European Communityfunding for pilot projects in the Leonardo da Vinciprogramme, and for the extension of the European Atelier forEngineering and Computational Science in the Marie Curieprogramme. Other notable events during the year were theimplementation on the Improve.it portal of coursesdeveloped within the METRO project (metallurgical trainingon-line) and of some lecture series from the von KarmanInstitute, the holding of an international 'mini-masters'course on 'Mechatronics: The practice of multidisciplinarysystem engineering', and participation in the organization ofthe Motor Vehicle Engineering masters course.
In the field of research, the year saw EnginSoft's debut as thecoordinator of an IP (Integrated Project) financed by theEuropean Community within the VI Framework. The project inquestion is NADIA (New automotive components designed forand manufactured by intelligent processes of light alloys),with a budget of over Euro 13 million. Again acting ascoordinator, EnginSoft obtained funding for the furtherdevelopment of the newFRONTIER project. Other Europeanprojects that EnginSoft is taking part in are NEWAC (Newaerospace engine core concepts), VERDI (Virtual engineeringfor robust manufacturing with design integration), theAUTOSIM network, the EuMat platform and the JointTechnology Initiative on Hydrogen and Fuel Cell.
The work involving the promotion of scientific andtechnological awareness has seen the company committed innumerous initiatives spanning the International Conferenceon CAE and Computational Technologies for Industry, toworkshops on the applications of CAE to turbomachines andto the oil and gas sector as well as an active participation invarious international conferences.
A brief account of all these activities is featured on thefollowing pages. The intention is to give the reader an ideaof what stands behind EnginSoft and the network withinwhich it works, thus explaining why EnginSoft sees itself asindustry's partner of choice in the design and production.
Stefano Odorizzi
EnginSoft FFlashNewsletter EnginSoft English Special Issue 2006 - 3
Ing. Stefano OdorizziGeneral Manager EnginSoft
4 - Newsletter EnginSoft English Special Issue 2006
Contents
Newsletter EnginSoftEnglish Special Issue 2006To receive your free copy of the EnginSoft Newsletter, pleasecontact our Marketing department: [email protected]
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TechNet Alliance www.CAEworld.com
5 Structural Design of the Olympic Torch Turin
2006
6 Optimization Applied to Mechatronics
7 New partnership with DYNARDO
8 Research: at the Heart of Innovation
12 EnginSoft promotes PIDO technology through
Technet Alliance
13 EnginSoft CAE Users’ Meeting 2006
14 EnginSoft’s Mission: Education
17 Distance engineering with DENGI
18 Optimization of Gas Turbine Combustors
19 EnginSoft promotes modeFRONTIER in Europe
19 EnginSoft and modeFRONTIER
network community
20 modeFRONTIER in France
21 modeFRONTIER in Sweden, Denmark, Norway,
Finland and Iceland
22 modeFRONTIER in United Kingdom
23 modeFRONTIER in Germany
23 modeFRONTIER in Spain
25 ANSYS signs definitive Agreement to acquireFluent, thus broadening its offerings in theSimulation Market
26 New MAGMAfrontier module
28 New shareholder for LINFLOW
29 CAE Workshop in Indesit Company
30 Pressure Die Casting Machines:Setup andOptimization of the Process usingmodeFRONTIER
32 ES.TEC.O becomes a Product Partner of the
Mathworks Connections Program
33 EnginSoft and ANSYS in the study of pressure
equipment
34 Optimization Techniques Applied to the Design
of Gas Turbine Blades Cooling Systems
37 EnginSoft participates in the “IRCOBIBiomechanics Course at the 2nd Young APSNConference”
38 Design of the Brenner Base Tunnel with
modeFRONTIER
Newsletter EnginSoft English Special Issue 2006 - 5
The wait for the winter Olympic andParalympics games lasted four longyears, but they were over in a flash,leaving the results obtained by all theathletes, as well as a storehouse ofwonderful memories of splendidsporting achievements, the fruit ofcommitment to physical effort.The Olympic flame not only illuminatedTurin for months but has left behindthe Olympic torch to recall theinseparable twin concepts of flame andpeace, the fruit of a cultural heritagethat has been handed down from ancienttimes to the present day so that thedeepest meaning of sport be, or returnsto be, centred on the highest moralvalues.
The 2006 version of the Olympic torchdrew its inspiration from the creativeidea of expressing the tension of theOlympic challenge in a single object: 5flames for a single spirit, 5 as theOlympic rings, symbol of the union ofthe 5 continents. In iconographicalterms the torch recalled the twisting ofthe athlete’s body with his forcebursting into a high, living flame andthe effort that, in the end, istransformed into the objectiveachieved. With its 60 meters, the Turin2006 Olympic torch won the record asthe highest in Olympic history. The all-steel structure weighs 145 tonnes and
is composed of threepre-fabricated, site-assembled segmentsof 32, 17 and 11metres in length, thelatter forming thetwisting summit.Given its height, theflame could be seenby the whole city ofTurin as it burnt inthe torch composedof 5 tubularcolumns, each 60 cmin diameter and seton the points of apentagon described in a circumferenceof 3 metres. A sixth 60 cm diametertube starts from the base of thestructure and is connected to theexternal columns by spokes arranged ina spiral to recall the twisting effectmentioned above. This tube reachesthe top of the structure where it widensout in its last three metres to housethe burners needed to launch theOlympic flame 4 meters into the sky. Atthe top of the torch, the 5 externaltubes, in their turn, take on thetwisting movement.
With very tight deadlines to work to,the Turin Olympic Committee entrustedthe fabrication of the torch, designedby Pininfarina, to Costruzioni Cimolai
Armando Spa (CCA)the company thathad worked withthe architect San-tiago Calatrava onthe restyling of theOlympic Stadium inAthens. As had inpart happened onthat occasion, CCAturned to EnginSoftfor the structuraldesign, dimen-sioning and con-struction details of
the Turin 2006 torch. EnginSoft’ s rolewas to develop the structural modellingof the inside of the torch, analysing itsbehaviour under various design loads inorder to optimize the dimensions of thewelding with the reduction offabrication time to a minimum whilerespecting the maximum safetyparameters that the structure had torespect.
The design and fabrication of theOlympic torch provided a furtheroccasion to demonstrate thatEnginSoft’ s technical specialists were,and are, able to deal with such projectsfrom the design stage to the structuralmodelling and its validation againstrelevant standards, and the productionof the required technical documen-tation and support data for theengineering decisions taken. The closecooperation between CCA andEnginSoft, together with their high-level skills, enabled CCA to successfullymeet the delivery date for the torchand thus pave the way for the originaland spectacular inauguration ceremonyfor the 2006 Turin Winter Olympics.
For further information:Livio Furlan - Structural [email protected]
Structural DDesign oof tthe OOlympicTorch TTurin 22006EnginSoft was awarded the contract for the structural design of the majestic torchfor the Olympic flame.
6 - Newsletter EnginSoft English Special Issue 2006
Mechatronics The term mechatronics comes from thetwo words mechanics and electronics,with the latter having the meaningthat is embraced in today’s concept ofinformation engineering: electronics,automation, computer science andtelecommunications. A large number of machines andprocesses are electromechanic innature, having electronic controls.Some examples are found in theautomobile, aerospace and
manufacturing industries, consumerproducts (household appliances andvideo recorders, for example), machinetools and robots. The ever greater useof applied electronics andelectromechanical processes, and inparticular the use of programmableelectronic systems withmicrocontrollers, has lead to a newapproach to the design of theseprocesses that can be defined as anintegrated process. The philosophy atthe base of mechatronics is theintegration into a single project of thethree competences that weretraditionally and distinctively those ofelectronic, electrical and mechanicalengineering.A machatronic project is thusessentially the integration into amechanical project of the moderntechnologies of sensors, actuators, andmovements controlled in real time byprogrammable devices such asmicroprocessors, DSP, PLC etc. Thisintegration is, moreover, only possibleif the mechanical project is managed
using modern techniquesable to calculatemovements and stresses,foresee noise andvibrations, calculate lawsof motion and torque forinput to the electronicsystems as references forthe correct operation ofthe system. Themechanical approach tothe project results, forexample, in the
substitution of somemechanical functions byelectronic ones which aremore flexible andsometimes less expensiveand more reliable. Theresults are higherperformance productswhich are easilyreconfigured usingsoftware and thus moreflexible for the user andable to keep pace with
markets that are ever more demandingin terms of price and performance.
Why modeFRONTIER applied to Mechatronics in the Design of Dynamic SystemsGood design in mechatronics involves avery wide range of skills, while thefields of application span mechanicaland electrical engineering,thermodynamics, hydraulics,pneumatics, heat transfer and controlsystems. This implies an all butcommon broad understanding andvision, and above all the difficultinterpretation of optimization usingDOE. This is precisely the field ofapplication for modeFRONTIER, namelythe integration of an optimizationsystem with one for a decision support,and basically when the design team hasto work with a multitude of knowledgesectors. modeFRONTIER differs fromother optimization systems also in thatin addition to providing full supportand algorithm base for DOE and multi-objective optimization, it internally
integrates tools to judge and weigh thepossible solutions obtained that meetthe needs of the team as a whole.Let us take an example of a project inwhich it is necessary to optimize boththe mechanical component as well asthe associated control and pneumaticsystems. Any optimizer can find arange of solutions in a given time, butthe final decision then has to obtainthe optimum that satisfies all thedisciplines involved, without upsettinganyone, and perhaps not reviewing theimprovements possible with smallvariations to the set parameters. The integration of monodimensionalcodes or block systems is very strong inmodeFRONTIER and this enables therapid construction of multidisciplinaryoptimization models with an equallyfast solution that permits the team toconcentrate on the importantdecisional phase of the project.
Optimization AApplied tto MMechatronics
Newsletter EnginSoft English Special Issue 2006 - 7
New ppartnership wwith DDYNARDODYNARDO GmbH, EnginSoft S.p.A. and ES.TEC.O. srl have announced a new partnership.
This strategic move by global leaders inthe field of engineering simulation,reliability analysis and optimizationwill result in the marriage of keytechnologies for fast and better virtualdevelopment of industrial productsthrough systematic simulation. Bycoupling the sophisticatedoptimization analysis techniques inES.TEC.O.'s flagship product,modeFRONTIER and the most advancedreliability analysis techniques ofDYNARDO's OptiSLang an outstanding
software platform for CAE-based virtualproduct development is born. Therelationship aims to further improvethe methodology and to offercustomers the best software availableon the market for the ongoingevolution in virtual prototyping.
Carlo Poloni, President, ES.TEC.O, says:"The technical cooperation withDynardo will bring sophisticated andefficient reliability analysis toolsavailable in OptiSLang into themodeFRONTIER environment enhancingthe wide applicability of our softwaretool". Johannes Will, CEO, DYNARDO:"Thanks to the extensive integration
capabilities of modeFRONTIER,OptiSLang users will have theopportunity to apply theexperience gained so far invertical applications to a muchwider application area andpossibly influence the entirelife-cycle of industrial products."
Stefano Odorizzi, CEO, EnginSoft, says:"We will bring into the cooperation 20years of experience in the CAE arenasupplying all the experience needed to
apply at best and in cost-effectivemanner the software technologiesdeveloped by ES.TEC.O. and DYNARDO".
The agreement between ES.TEC.O. andDYNARDO involves the development ofsoftware interfaces that will giveaccess to the best technologies ownedby the two companies to the globalindustrial community of designers.
About DYNARDODYNARDO was founded in 2001 as asoftware development and consultingcompany to transfer leading scientificknow how in CAE-based reliabilityanalysis into practical applications.
SLang, the leading scientific softwarefor reliability analysis is used byDYNARDO as base for softwaredevelopments as well as for consultingservices. Since OptiSLang wasintroduced in 2002 into the Germanmarket the software has beensuccessfully established as integralpart of the virtual product developmentprocess of DYNARDO customers. With astrong and mature background instructural dynamics as well as in CAE-based optimization and reliabilityanalysis, DYNARDO is offering todaysoftware and services for variousengineering fields like mechanical,civil, power generation or automotiveengineering.
For further information about DYNARDOplease contact:DYNARDO GmbHLuthergasse 1b-d99423 Weimar - GermanyPhone: +49 3643 900830Fax: +49 3643 900831e-mail: [email protected]
EnginSoft has always regardedknowledge as being indispensable forinnovation for it is knowledge thatconsistently feeds research at alllevels.
The company's Memorandum andArticles of Association make explicitreference to this vision, as does itsmission statement which is moreclosely defined in terms of itscharacteristics, objectives and methodsin the dossier with which the ItalianMinistry for Universities and Scientificand Technological Research recognizesEnginSoft as an official laboratory forthe transfer of technology to industryin the CAE and iDP sectors (OfficialGazette 298, 22/12/1994). This is notpure, but applied and industrialresearch to bridge pure research, whichredesigns the criteria with whichscientific knowledge is produced, tothe needs of industry. This type of research is thereforesubject to cost evaluation and isdesigned and evaluated in terms of itsreturn on investment in the short tomedium term. The discoveries of thepossible indicated by pure researchhave to be consolidated and madefeasible in industrial know-how. It isnot enough to discover new lands:roads and bridges have to be built ifthey are to be reached and inhabited.
The work EnginSoft has done and theexperience it has gained have recentlywon the company recognition of itscritical mass sufficient to coordinateone of the biggest Integrated Projects(IP) financed by the EuropeanCommunity, namely the NADIA project(New Automotive componentsDesigned for and manufactured byIntelligent processing of light Alloys,contract no. 026563-2). EnginSoftpresented the proposal in the contextof the call of the 6th EU ResearchFramework Programme, under Priority 3(Nanotechnologies and nanosciences,knowledge based multifunctional
materials, new production processesand devices: NMP), in the field of"Simultaneous engineering andproduction of integrated high-techcomponents for European transport".This is the most important (and mostrecent) of EnginSoft's achievements, tobe numbered along with many otherinitiatives promoted by the company.There follows a description of the majorcurrent projects.
The NADIA projectThe NADIA project (www.nadiapro-ject.org) aims at improving thecompetitiveness of 12 EU SMEsengaged in simultaneous engineeringand the production of novel hightechnology transport components toexploit the potential of lightmultifunctional alloys for automotivecomponents.
The project kicked-off at the beginningof May this year at a meeting attendedby over 50 representatives of the 24consortium members that, at the sametime, form: - a vertical supply chain for
knowledge development (onesecondary Al producer, twofoundries, one casting equipmentproducer, two software developers,three design & engineeringcompanies, two special materialsand treatments companies and oneengine producer and assembler);and with
- one producer of primary Al and Mgalloys (Hydro), at the start of thechain, and two car manufacturers
(DaimlerChrysler, Ford) at its end;- a tier of horizontal research groups
(four research centres and fouruniversities).
NADIA addresses multi-level S&Tobjectives, including:- Engineering & Production (proof-of-
concept light alloy multifunctionalcomponents for the transportindustry).
- Applied RTD (multi-scale design andsimultaneous engineering tools;processing solutions; procedure andstandards for components).
- Basic Research (models of nano-scale phenomena in alloys andnano/micro structure effects onproperties; alloying element effectson components behaviour;optimized nano-size powders forcoatings)
NADIA is an integrated project: - Vertically by covering the entire
value-chain;- Horizontally by having an intrinsic
S&T multidisciplinary nature;- Activities that interact with each
other and with demonstration,education, and dissemination;
- Partnership by highlycomplementary partners;
Research: aat tthe HHeart oof IInnovationEnginSoft views research as the means for the transfer of technology to industry
8 - Newsletter EnginSoft English Special Issue 2006
List of Nadia Partners:
EnginSoft SpA, Italy; Centro RicercheFiat, Italy; DaimlerChrysler, Germany;Hydro Aluminium, Norway; RaffineriaMetalli Capra, Italy; Teksid Aluminum,Italy; ASMET, Poland; ABAMOTOREnergia, Spain; Magma GmbH,Germany; Foundrysoft, Sweden;University of Trondheim, Norway;University of Padova, Italy; Inst.Podstawowych Problemów Techniki,Poland; Helsinki University ofTechnology, Finland; SINTEF, Norway;Fundacion Tekniker, Spain ; MBN,Italy; MATFEM, Germany; Thermico,Germany; LPM, Italy; IMPERIA,Germany; Tenhults Pressgjuteri AB,Sweden; FORD, Germany; University ofJönköping, Sweden.
Newsletter EnginSoft English Special Issue 2006 - 9- European by competitiveness of the
networked enterprises strengthenedat a European level;
- Financially by mobilising public andprivate sector funding schemes.
Such integration allows for thecombination of materials, processesand new Nano-Micro-Macro (NM2)simultaneous engineering tools to beused in the production of automotivetransport demonstrators. Appropriatetraining activities support the correctuse of the alloys, processes andengineering tools being developedwithin and beyond the project, todevelop the professional skills of theprofessionals involved.The total cost of the project exceedsEuro 13 million, with an EUcontribution of over Euro 7 million:completion is foreseen within fouryears.
The NEWAC projectThe NEWAC project (New AerospaceEngine Core Concepts) is an IntegratedProject within the 6th EU ResearchFramework Programme (www.newac.org), with the objective ofradically innovating turbojetcomponents. It is one of the largest EUfunded projects, with a consortium of40 partners drawn from industry,research centres and universitiescommitted to a 4 to 5 year researchprogramme costing some Euro 75million.The WorkPackages into which theproject is divided are directed by theleading European engine companies:MTU, Snecma, Rolls Royce and Avio.The partners include other industryleaders including Turbomeca, VolvoAereo and Airbus.The objective of the project isinnovation directed at the reduction,in its various aspects, of fuelconsumption and emissions in line withthe standards set for the newgeneration of engines that will beinstalled in Airbus aircrafts from 2020.In particular, the project will study newcycle concepts for the compressionphase and new systems for thecombustion phase. EnginSoft will participate in thecombustion WorkGroup along with
Rolls-Royce Deutschland, Turbomeca,Avio, Onera, DLR, Cepr and theuniversities of Florence, Karlsruhe andGraz thanks to its experience gainedfrom the CLEAN project on combustionin aero engines. The unique, andparticularly favorable position forEnginSoft derives, on one hand, fromthe company's know-how in CFDcombustion processes and, on theother, its proprietary software for theoptimization of the design andproduction process, both giving it acentral role in the development ofvirtual design of a new burnerinitiating innovative concepts forinjectors. The project will be developedby designing a virtual model ofcombustion with a parametric structurethat will be optimized, in line with theguide lines, objectives and theconstraints set by the partners. The first milestone has been fixed forDecember 2007. In the case of success,the development of the first prototypewill follow, with its testbed evaluation. The project kicked off in June of thisyear.
The VERDI projectThe VERDI project (Virtual Engineeringfor Robust Manufacturing with DesignIntegration) is a STREP within the 6thEU Research Framework Programme(www.verdi-fp6.org). In addition toEnginSoft, the VERDI consortiumnumbers six major aero engine andcomponent manufacturers, togetherwith six universities and three researchinstitutes, that have pooled theirexpertise and resources to reachbeyond the current state-of-the-art inmanufacturing process simulation.The aim of VERDI is to contribute towinning global leadership for Europeanaeronautics by developing a newgeneration of engineering technologiesthat allows for the complete virtualmanufacturing of structural aero enginecomponents to be integrated with thedesign process and manufacturing. Thistechnology enables the combinedeffect of all manufacturing processes tobe taken into account already during
design so that robust manufacturingmethods are designed into thecomponent. This will minimize the costand lead time due to physical trials andlong feed back times frommanufacturing to design. Thetechnology to be developed will triggera quantum step in cost reduction fordesign or re-design of new or existingaero engine components. Byintegrating design, productdevelopment and manufacturing usingvirtual tools component cost and time-to-market will be reduced by 25%,increasing market shares andcompetitive business performance. Thevision is complete virtualmanufacturing of the component,predicting its deformation and residualmaterial state after manufacturing andusing these results in life and strengthanalysis of the component. Thisshortens the cycle time betweenexperimental observations and designchanges during product development.Contractually, EnginSoft's role in theproject is limited to the simulation ofsome machining processes to beundertaken both with simplified andsummary approaches and with detailmodels. Right from the kick off,however, it has been clearly logical toredefine this role given thepossibilities offered by modeFRONTIERas the environment in which to managethe logic of the whole process from thepoint of view of its overalloptimization. The project started inSeptember of last year, has a budget ofEuro 6 million and a life of three years.
Other European Community projectsand activitiesThe research projects described aboveare the three main activities funded bythe European Community in whichEnginSoft is involved, but there arealso others that merit mention. Amongthese there is the IDEAL project
(Integrated Development Routes forOptimized Cast AluminiumComponents), financed by theEuropean Community within the 5thFramework (www.idealproject.org) andintended to create an integrated suiteof software tools for the design and
production of more reliable, efficientand optimized cast aluminiumcomponents. The project is now in itsclosing stages and can be seen asopening door to the NADIA project. The AUTOSIM project deserves to bementioned (www.autosim.org) with itsbasic objective of promoting better andmore effective use of simulationtechnology in the EuropeanAutomotive industry. It has twocomplementary aims: firstly to developbest practices and secondly to identifythe most promising potential futurebreakthrough technologies. These aimsand objectives will be examined underthree primary themes namelyintegration of simulation into thedevelopment process, materialscharacterization and improvingconfidence in the use of simulation.In order to address these issues,Autosim has established aninternational team of leading expertsrepresenting much of the Europeanautomotive industry (32 companiesfrom throughout Europe). They willdevelop a preliminary set of bestpractice guidelines, standard analyticalprocedures and research strategies.They will then consult with the widerautomotive industry to gain feedbackon these preliminary documents, inorder to produce final documents whichaim to provide definitive guidelinesfrom an authoritative and crediblesource. These final versions will bemade available internationallythroughout the automotive industry.Their adoption will increase theefficiency and improve the quality ofsimulation, increase the efficiency ofthe supply chain, enable simulation tobe practiced more effectively by abroad range of personnel, coordinateongoing research by providing a
focused set of priorities, and assistindustry to plan its future imple-mentation strategy for simulation.
EnginSoft is also taking part directly inTechnology Platforms including EuMaT(European Technology Platform forAdvanced Engineering Materials andTechnologies, www.eumat.org),launched to assure optimalinvolvement of industry and otherimportant stakeholders in the processof establishing R&D priorities in thearea of advanced engineering materialsand technologies and HFP (EuropeanHydrogen and Fuel Cell TechnologyPlatform, www.hfpeurope.org), whichaims at fulfilling the European energypolicy's objectives of reducedgreenhouse gas emissions andimproved security of supply by makinghydrogen and fuel cells a marketreality. As regards the latter Platform,EnginSoft is one of the signatories tothe Joint Technology Initiative, inwhich Italy is participating as a leadingplayer. Last, but certainly not least, EnginSoftis a member of a number of networks,including APSN (Advanced PassiveSafety Network, www.passivesafe-ty.com), which has been established topromote passive safety research and,equally importantly, to help in thedissemination of information andresults, all with a view to reducing thenumber of casualties on Europeanroads.
Projects and research activities financed by Italian agenciesEnginSoft is also very active in Italy attwo levels, firstly by taking part infunded research projects and secondlyby effectively offering services tocompanies to identify the mostsuitable financial tools to support theirinnovation initiatives throughresearch. There are, in effect, manyfinancial instruments offered in Italyby central government, the regions andother public bodies, but they havediffering objectives, regulation andfunding mechanisms and these factorsoften act as disincentives. If it is truethat in Italy there is very little moneydestined for research, it is equally true
that the demand for the funding ofapplied and industrial research is verylimited. This is the background thathas led to the service offered byEnginSoft, which can boast manysuccess stories since its introduction in1994.
The projects in which EnginSoft iscurrently participating directly include: The QL-REDOUT project, financed bythe Autonomous Province of Trento, forthe development of displacementtransduction and signal amplificationsystems able to operate in the audiofrequency range with sensitivity nearthe quantum limit, and which hasalready produced some very interestingresults (see, for example: M.Bonaldi,M.Cerdonio, "Principles of widebandwidth acoustic detectors and thesingle mass DUAL detector", to bepublished on Physical Review).
The newFRONTIER project, financed bythe Autonomous Province of Trento andcoordinated by EnginSoft, andintended to extend the functionality ofmodeFRONTIER in the three aspectsthat characterize the system: theintegration process, MDO (multi-objective optimization), anddocumentation and decision support.Other partners include Dynardo GmbHand InuTecH Gmbh, companies withwhom EnginSoft has worked in the pastwith particular regard to reliabilityanalysis and robust design,cooperation that could be developedfurther to the full advantage oftechnologies involved. Anotherimportant contribution to the projectis to be made by the Department ofComputer Science, Systems andCommunication of the University ofMilan, with particular regard toknowledge management and, morespecifically, to the modelling of coreknowledge and practices in thecompany environment. The PITIS project (Integrated designwith safety engineering and
10 - Newsletter EnginSoft English Special Issue 2006
Newsletter EnginSoft English Special Issue 2006 - 11
computational fluid dynamics),financed by the Apulia Region (OfficialGazette No. 49, April 2006), isintended for a consortium of thatincludes, in addition EnginSoft, theUniversity of Lecce and StimEngineering. The project regards thecreating of a software environmentsuited to the needs of both designersand public bodies in dealing with firefighting in buildings. The project hasan interdisciplinary approach andprovides for the implementation bothof methods derived directly from theusual design formulation and theapplication of advanced CFD correlatedto the various standard to be observed.
The SIPAR project (Integratedstrategies for the recycling of urbanwaste water in Apulia) financed by theApulia Region and started in April 2006with coordination of the University ofTaranto, features EnginSoft for the CFDsimulation and multi objectiveoptimization as support tools for the
design of the watertreatment plants. The FIRS HydrogenProduction researchproject (Integratedsystems of hydrogenproduction and theiremployment for distri-buted generation)funded by the ItalianMinistry for Research,aims to integrateinnovative systems ofhydrogen productionwith plants ofthermoelectric powergeneration fed bybiomass and/or fossilfuel for wasterecovery. The projectintends to researchthe production ofhydrogen, itspurification andintegration as a fuel inthe power generationplant. As far as thecombustion ofhydrogen itself goes,innovative lowenvironmental impact
combustion systems will beinvestigated, together with theevaluation of their economic impact. A major player in the project is ENEL,the Italian electricity generatingcompany, while its coordination is theresponsibility of the Consorzio PisaRicerche research institute. Anotherpartner is Riello, one of the biggestcompanies in domestic boilers andburners, which is active in thedevelopment of innovative techno-logies for applications applied toresidential micro-power-generation.Domestic residential micro-power-generation is seen as a strategic newfuture market by several companies inthis sector. The role of EnginSoftregards the CFD simulation ofcombustion in catalytic reactors guidedby an optimizer, so that a flexibleexpert system of the process can bedeveloped and later employed in theseveral scenarios that different powerplants will require. Among theindustrial projects seeking funding for
which EnginSoft has acted as a serviceprovider in its role of an officiallaboratory for technology transfer, theINNOFRIDGE project promoted byWhirlpool is emblematic. The objective of the project is theidentification of innovative solutionsfor the production and assembly ofrefrigerators and freezers in order toreduce costs and production time whileincreasing quality and the functionsavailable to the end user. Afundamental aspect of the project isthe development and testing of thedesign method and, in particular, howto operate in a collaborativeenvironment at the concept generationlevel in new products. There is theconviction that such a methodologycan be replicated and it is for this thatEnginSoft was invited to participatewith the PIDO technologies it can makeavailable.
Research, at the heart of innovationThe fact that innovation is always acompetitive advantage for companiesis clear to everyone. Acceleratingtechnological development allowsalmost no one to remain static with thesame product and processtechnologies. The question forcompanies is how to draw on the poolof knowledge that develops over timefrom the workings of science andresearch so as to be able to start auseful and coherent process ofinnovation. EnginSoft can intervene atvarious levels, but above all in processinnovation, that is to say theoptimization of the tools andknowledge useful for the production ofa good or service. On occasions, and inthe strict sense of the term, EnginSoft'scontribution can be said to be to thearchitectural innovation of the process,that is to the optimization of knowntechnologies in innovatively synergeticcombinations. This allows companiesto fully enjoy the advantages of high-tech, without necessarily having toundertake pure research. The projectscited above give ample testimony ofthese opportunities.
For more information:[email protected]
What is TechNet AllianceThe TechNet Alliance is a uniqueconsortium in the Computer AidedEngineering (CAE) industry. It iscomprised of the world's largestnetwork of engineering solutionproviders dedicated to the application,development, training, support andmarketing of CAE best-of-classsoftware.
In addition to CAE service companies,business support companies andrenowned professionals from industry,professors from universities and evenrepresentatives of corporatecompanies also belong to thisnetwork.
TechNet Alliance is a membershiporganization that holds formalmeetings twice per year. Activities ofthe organization are managed by theTechnology Network Alliance AG, a
company registered in Switzerland.Membership is by invitation only.The global alliance comprises morethan 800 CAE experts in 40companies, 18 countries, 110locations communicating in 15languages.
The mission of TechNet Alliance is tooffer CAE services including best-of-class software, training courses,consulting and customization throughan international network ofindependent member companies,which is based on trust and respect.
Why AllianceDespite its wide range of application,CAE is a niche market. For example, itis estimated (2004) that each yearabout 15 billion US$ are spent on PLMsoftware and services. The estimatedshare of purchased CAE toolsworldwide including services is 2.3billion (This does notinclude the CAD, CAM, orPDM markets). It isassumed that the netvalue (total usage) is 5-6times of the abovenumbers.
Because CAE is a complex and fastdeveloping technology, it requiresexpertise in a variety of disciplines.Service companies who can providethis expertise are typically small tomedium size enterprises focused onone specific industry or discipline.No single company exists that can
possibly possess all of the world's CAEknowledge and experience. Therefore,it is difficult for a large company tofind sufficient CAE expertise to satisfyits needs. However, by combining thebest engineering talent, productknowledge, consulting expertise,training and support into a singleentity, an "Alliance of Experts" cancollaborate to solve the most complexCAE-problems.
Such an Alliance may function as a"virtual corporation" providing a highconcentration of CAE expertise and
services worldwide not availablethrough any individual company.
In the future, networking and buildingalliances becomes vitally important toremain competitive in the globalmarket. This is especially true forsmall and medium sized companies.
For these reasons a company,Technology Network Alliance AG, wasestablished 1998 in Switzerland by aninternational group of CAE servicecompanies ("Founding Members"). Bycombining the unique expertise ofmany companies into a "globalcorporation", the Alliance is capableof focusing the skills, resources, andpeople to fulfill a market need.
Today the TechNet Alliance is perhapsthe world's largest network ofengineering solution providersdedicated to the application,development, marketing and supportof CAE software. Beyond CAE servicecompanies, business supportcompanies, renowned professionalsfrom industry, professors fromuniversities and even representativesof corporate companies also belong tothis network.
EnginSoft ppromotes PPIDO ttechnologythrough TTechNet AAllianceEnginSoft will have an important role in Technology Network Alliance AGto promote PIDO technology
12 - Newsletter EnginSoft English Special Issue 2006
EnginSoft CCAEUsers’ MMeeting 22006CAE Technologies in industry - 99-110November 2006 Stezzano (BG)
Newsletter EnginSoft English Special Issue 2006 - 13
EnginSoft, industry's partner for theinnovation of the design process,announces the CAE Technologies inIndustry Conference to be held on 9and 10 November, 2006. The conference will take the form ofsessions divided by industrial sectorwithin which the tangible returnsdemonstrated with the use of CAE incompanies will be examined throughnumerous example applications.
The decision to innovate theproduction process means exploitingthe impact that the chosentechnologies and methods have on thedesign process, both in terms of
productivity and reliability, evaluatingthe present and future validity of theinvestment, the interactions with theassociated design and productionfunctions, and the compatibility withthe company's management systems. All this, evidently, has to meet theobjective of competitiveness.EnginSoft wishes to show that CAE isan indispensable element in thiscontext.
Conference themes include:applications to computational mecha-nics, dynamics and in general tomodels for materials; computational
fluid dynamics and fluid-structureinteractions; process integration,multidisciplinary optimization anddecision support tools; simulation ofindustrial processes. A significant part of the conferencewill be dedicated to the illustration ofthe new releases and functions of allthe virtual prototyping softwaredistributed by EnginSoft:modeFRONTIER, ANSYS, ANSYS CFX,MAGMAsoft, FTI, FORGE, AdvantEdge,and others.
For more information:http://[email protected]
EnginSoft has always believed inTechNet Alliance and has been amember since 1999
Networking among companies workingin the same sector is often an idealsolution in today's global market, andit is all the more so when dealing withavant-garde technologies. However, itis not a simple matter for thoseworking in the field of virtualprototyping to network in a stable andeffective way because theorganizations involved are almostalways very small and, since theproduct is mainly knowledge it isdifficult in practical terms to establishthe complementary nature of thecooperation or interact withoutupsetting the sensibilities of one orother of the partners involved. TechNetAlliance is a notable exception whosesuccess can be a matter of pride for itsmembers: it is an authenticinternational community of experts inCAE and associated technologiesoffering the market highly specializedskills in various industrial sectors.
What is TechNet Alliance's secret? Thecompany is based on reciprocal trustand the recognition of, and respect forthe competences of each member:compliance with these basic values ismonitored by TechNet Alliance'sfounders, players who have written thehistory of CAE services in theirrespective countries. Evidence of thisare the specific contributions thatEnginSoft has made to the allianceregarding metallurgy and processsimulation applications, theintegration of process and MDO,decision support tools and, on anorganizational level, experience ofindustrial research and public funding,and in training. To this is added atouch of Italian style that, on its own,is an element that helps bind thegroup together.
For more information:www.CAEworld.com
The transfer of scientific andtechnological knowledge is of extremeimportance to society as a whole aswell as to technological innovation.The process is on-going and cannot bemanaged through institutional trainingprogrammes. In the field of digital prototyping andits associated disciplines, this processis particularly critical. Firstly, becausein this sector changes andimprovements are made with greatrapidity. Secondly and morespecifically, theory and practice mustbe integrated in the training for thesetechnologies to ensure it will besuccessful and to maximize itsusefulness in the design andproduction processes. If on the one
hand it is not enough to have a simpletechnical command of the tools to beemployed effectively, and for this to beaccompanied by an understanding ofthe methodology and an overall visionof the design and production process,on the other this understanding is ofno use to anyone if it lacks anapplication. EnginSoft is convinced of this and hasmade training a fundamental part of itsmission in offering a series of toolsthat contribute to an educationalstructure and programme that is almostwithout precedent in the sector. Theactivity is not limited to the provisionof training courses (there are over 40in the catalogue) as this would not begoing very far as it would make only apartial contribution to targetedtraining, but it forms a system thatincludes the organization ofworkshops, seminars and conferences,the delivery of short, specialist courses
of which there are over 120 in thecatalogue, and 'mini-masters' courses.The activity continues with the conductof international events funded by theEuropean Community, participation onsector committees and the provision ofspecialized masters courses, themanagement of post graduate and adhoc scholarships, and the creation andsupport of a distance learning portal. The work associated with theseactivities is undertaken in part byEnginSoft, and more widely andsystematically by the TCN consortium(www.consorziotcn.it) of whichEnginSoft is a founder member andcurrently managing partner. Detailed information on the trainingcourses can be found on the
organizations' sites or onrequest directly from theorganizers' offices. Other training activitiesin which EnginSoft isinvolved are brieflyoutlined below.
EU funded training projects EnginSoft, either in first person orworking through TCN, has always takenpart in training activities funded by theEuropean Union, mostly within theLeonardo da Vinci and Marie Curieprogrammes.The company is currently involved inthe following Leonardo da Vinciprojects:
METRO (Metallurgical Training On Line- www.improve.it/metro: see alsoEnginSoft Newsletter, 2,34, 2006). The mainobjective of METRO isthe setting-up of ac o m p r e h e n s i v ecurriculum of on-linetraining courses onmetallurgy. The coursesform an unmatchedsingle system in terms of
the timeliness and comprehensivenature in which the subjects are dealtwith by the training specialists, theformat in which they are delivered andthe consistency of the structure andnavigation system, all of which ensuresthe flexibility and immediacy thatindustry needs.
ESoCAET (European School of ComputerAided Engineering Technology -
www.esocaet.com): see also EnginSoftNewsletter English special Issue 2005).ESoCAET promotes new, highlyqualified part-time masters courses toconsolidate CAE application-orientatedexpert knowledge at a higher scientificlevel with consideration ofmanagement aspects. Practical aspects,theory and competence in scientificmethods constitute a good mixture forqualification for higher careerpositions.
NUFRIC (Numerical Based MediumLevel Training on Industrial FrictionProblems - www.nufric.org). Thisproject intends to give an example ofhow to change the style of technicalvocational training by bypassing thetraditional syllabus of technicalcourses. The subjects covered are thecontact-friction-wear problems ofmechanical parts, issues ofconsiderable technical and financial
interest and therefore withpotential impact onemployability.
ILTOF (InnovativeLearning in FractureMechanics). This project,which has only recentlyreceived EU funding,concerns fracture
EnginSoft’s MMission: EEducationThe transfer of scientific and technological knowledge necessarily demands an open mindedcompany culture
14 - Newsletter EnginSoft English Special Issue 2006
Newsletter EnginSoft English Special Issue 2006 - 15
mechanics and, more generally, theevaluation of structural integrity. Thetheme is of great current interest inprofessional practice and requires thecompletion of two particularly criticalphases, namely the transfer ofscientific knowledge and the transfer oftechnological understanding. Thisprocess needs to produce the necessarycommunication between pure, appliedand industrial research, providing theappropriate language for suchtransfers, and this is the objective ofthe project in question.
Within the Marie Curie programme, theproject that is currently underway isEUA4X (European Atelier forEngineering and ComputationalSciences - www.eua4x.org: see alsoEnginSoft Newsletter 1, 30, 2006).EUA4X offers a Europe-wide trainingenvironment for the carrierdevelopment of young researchersthrough a coherent program ofconferences, training courses, lectureseries and workshops, as well as virtualevents in the area of applied scientificcomputing and its applications to awide number of problems that arecurrently at the forefront of research.
The project offers some 500 fellowshipsto attend the events. The project, nowat its half way mark, has enjoyed amuch greater success than had beenexpected, and in particular in terms ofthe numbers attending the eventswhich has been well in excess of theindicators set by the EU. For thisamong other reasons the project willprobably be refinanced beyond 2007.The project coordinator is TCN. Part ofthe events are also available on theImprove.it portal.
Conferences, seminars and workshopsConferences, seminars and workshopsare ideal events for the creation andmaintenance of the climate needed tounderstand and adopt newtechnologies and again in this field ofactivity EnginSoft has maturedenviable experience. In addition to itsown annual conference(http://meeting2006.enginsoft.it), theannual TCN-CAE InternationalConference on CAE and ComputationalTechnologies for Industry, held by TCN(http://tcncae2005.consorziotcn.it),and its participation in similar eventsorganized by its TechNet Alliancepartners (www.caeworld.com, http://www.figes.com.tr/conference/tr/2006/,www.icatconf.org, www.usersmeeting.com), there are many other initiativesthat merit mention.
Among these was the conference on"Mechanatronics, the integration oftechnologies to win the challenges ofthe future" (http://www.enginsoft.it/meccatronica06), organized togetherwith Brembo, that, with thecoordination of Prof. Francesco Jovane,leader of the European ManufuturePlatform, and following the welcomespeech given by Alberto Bombassei,Deputy Chairman of Confindustria, theItalian employers' association,provided an overview of the subject inthe automobile, aerospace,biomechanical and industrialautomation sectors. There followed aparticularly lively round tablediscussion coordinated by Luca DeBiase, from the financial newspaper 'Il
sole 24 ore'. A similar event waslaunched by Indesit Company, whochose EnginSoft to organize a CAEworkshop in which the company'smanagers who had played key roles inthe introduction of numeric simulationin product development processesdiscussed its advantages and theopportunities it afforded. Thecontributions made by the technicaldirectors of companies includingImmergas, Teuco, Tesco, Ducati Motorand Sit la Precisa, gave a clear outlineto the subject and, above all, withgreat realism indicated the changesthat are necessary for the CAE tools tobecome truly design instruments in thedevelopment of product and process.The parallel exhibition featuredexhibitors including Altair, Aurora,IBM, LMS, Moldflow, MSC, UGS andMeccanica Generale, among others.
Many other similar workshops havebeen held with, for example, Piaggio inthe motorcycle sector, Saipem in thechemical, oil and gas sectors, and anumber of universities.
EnginSoft has made importantcontributions to conferences organizedby third parties, including Metef 2006(www.metef.com), at which thecompany sponsored two importantconferences with the support of theItalian Association of Metallurgy andentitled "Foundry, Strategies forCompetitively. Success Stories" and"Forum on Diecast Technologies: theAutomatic Production 'Island'." In similar vein, EnginSoft has takenpart at TurboExpo 2006 in Barcelona,Plast 2006, Tool 2006(www.tool06.org) and other, smallerevents.
Distance learningEnginSoft has created and maintainedits own e.learning portal for a numberof years (www.improve.it). The portal isthe industrial application of aprototype developed seven years agoas part of the European MOPLE project(Modular open-platform and tools forpersonalized learning in computationalengineering methods - EC contract IST-
1999-13460). In general, e.learningrepresents a notable opportunity, allthe more so in contexts in whichongoing training and education isindispensable, as is the case with CAEtechnologies that are in continuous,rapid evolution. In such cases the useof distance learning means maximisingflexibility and efficiency in knowledgetransfer as it offers 24h access, one toone teaching on specific subjects ofimmediate interest, updated teachingmaterials, personalized trainingprogrammes, zero cost in terms of losttravelling time, direct lines ofcommunication with the lectures andtrainers, potential for blended training,minimized loss and duplication ofeffort and immediate, facilitatedorientation.
Improve.it has shown itself more thanable to cope. The portal mainly offerscourses in the three sectors of CAE,materials engineering and productionprocesses, and civil engineering. Thereare over 700 teaching modules forsome 60 courses with at least 40percent of the teaching materialsreviewed each year. The greater part ofthe teaching materials are original andin part come from the pilot projectsdescribed above.
Other activitiesEnginSoft undertakes othertraining activities as well asmeeting demands fromindustry by organising adhoc training solutions. Anexample that deservesmention is the so called'mini-masters', which takesthe form of periods ofintensive training based onthe summer school conceptor lecture series, andcharacterized by the sharing,full time, of experiencesbetween the lecturers whocome from both industry andacademia, and the students.All the mini-mastersorganized by EnginSoft areinternational in nature.Among those that haveenjoyed the greatest success are themini-masters in CFD, and that on"Mechatronics: the practice ofmultidisciplinary system engineering",which is particularly appreciated by theautomobile industry and is held twice ayear. Another international mini-masters is on CDF, with in this case aparticular structure that features a firstweek that is common to all participantsand a second week offering threedifferent specialisations: turbulence,
multphase flows and combustion. Theparticipants are thus offered themaximum of flexibility. Other mini-masters cover knowledge management,numerical acoustics, MDO, and fatigueand durability. EnginSoft, with TCN, hasalso organized an intensive masters inCFD, and set up an agreement withuniversities for the holding of amasters in process simulation.
Lastly, EnginSoft together with TCN, isthe only non-university structure in theengineering sector to be part of theUnivirtual Foundation(www.univirtual.it) which was launchedby the universities in the north east ofItaly to define the standards fordistance learning and to organize themain corresponding activities.
An unmatched menu As a whole the training menu offeredby EnginSoft is unmatched in itssector. Complete and flexible, it adaptswell to meet the needs of industry andis completely in line with the Europeandeclaration made at the Congress ofLisbon: "Europe should become, by2010, the most competitive anddynamic knowledge-based economy inthe world, capable of sustainableeconomic growth with more and betterjobs and greater social cohesion".
16 - Newsletter EnginSoft English Special Issue 2006
EnginSoft’s Training Department
Registered Logo
Distance eengineering wwith DDENGIhttp://dengi.enginsoft.it: a new company service from EnginSoft
Newsletter EnginSoft English Special Issue 2006 - 17
Dengi is a portal that allows companiesaccess to high-level engineeringapplications via a standard internetbrowser. Companies often find that they have tolimit the use of TCO applicationsbecause of:
- expensive user licences;- installations that require changes
to the existing hardware andsoftware configurations;
- steep learning curves.
Dengi avoids all these obstacles. Allthat is needed is a standard PC, aninternet connection and a normalbrowser: EnginSoft looks after the rest!You input the data, and we see to thecomputations on our dedicated servers. After connecting to the portal andhaving chosen the application thatbest meets your needs, all you have todo is the initial data input.
A simple click of the mouse will thenlaunch the programme. You don't evenhave to remember when thecomputation finishes as an e-mail willlet you know when the process hasfinished.
What's more, Dengi lets you accessyour results whenever and fromwherever you like. Dengi'sarchiving system allows accesswith an internet browser withoutthe need to install dedicatedplugins. The security of your datais ensured by the portal'sauthentication system: only youcan access your data. Dengi also offers a greatopportunity to companies.Would you like to propose anapplication for inclusion on theportal?Get in touch and give us a full andserious analysis for the integrationof your application on the portal.
If you are happy with our proposalyou'll have the chance to exploit ourcomputer lab for the implementationof the software throughout the portal.This is an opportunity for companieswith great technical know how butlittle computing knowledge to exploitthe potential of their ideas in tandemwith Dengi.
By integrating your applications in ourportal you can exploit its innumerableadvantages which include:- ability to use your applications
anywhere, anytime;- income from the use of your
software by third parties withouthaving to supply installations andavoiding problems of pirating andunauthorized copies;
- protected, high securtity storage ofyour data.
Dengi therefore lets you share yourengineering applications over anumber of sites or among a number ofcompanies. This results in the standardisation ofcomputing systems to obtainhomogeneous data and, in the case of
their use by your partners, in imposingquality standards also during thedesign phase. In addition, Dengi can become asource of profit for the companies thatdecide to let third parties use theirapplications without having to take onthe typical problems of softwaredistribution and so avoiding assistancewith installation, piracy, the coping ofcode by competitors, and so on.
Dengi is your ideal ally for yoursoftware. Contact our consultants formore information and to discover themany advantages our portal can offeryour company.
For more information:[email protected]
18 - Newsletter EnginSoft English Special Issue 2006
Optimization oof GGas TTurbineCombustorsAn Integrated Design Approach for Gas-TTurbine Combustors by means of Game-TTheoryOptimization StrategyThe present work describes a novelapproach for the optimized design ofgas turbine combustors, thatintegrates a O/D code, CFD analysesand an advanced Multi Objective GameTheory optimization algorithm.
MethodologyA proprietary 0/D code produces thebaseline design of any genericcombustor, given the requiredperformances of the G.T., the machinecharacteristics, the fuel type and
properties, the basic geometry (tubularor annular) and the combustionconcept (i.e. lean premixed primaryzone or diffusive processes). Thefollowing step is the optimization ofthe baseline design. For that purpose,a parametric CAD and mesh modelshould be prepared, as well as theneeded set of macros to run the CFDanalysis and post-process the results inbatch mode.
Free parameters of the optimizationprocess are position and size of theliner holes arrays, their total area andthe shape of the exit duct. The threedifferent objectives are theminimization of NOx emissions,
pressure losses (Dp)and combustor exitPattern Factor (Paf).This last index is ameasure of thetemperature unifor-mity of the producedgas flow. The lower itis, the better it is,specially in terms ofthermal stress for thefollowing turbineblades.
The previously described approachwas applied to the design of atubular combustion chamber, witha lean premixed primary zone, fora recovery methane-fuelled smallgas turbine of the 100 kW class.As a comparison term for theresults, a similar combustor waschosen out of the recent technical
literature (2004).All the computational chain from thenumerical definition of the variables'values to the results handling wasautomated by means of:• a parametric CAD model of the
device (CATIAv5 scriptinglanguage);
• a robust hexahedral multi-blockmeshing (ICEM CFD);
• a batch-mode use of the CFD solver,with automatic post-processing(ANSYS CFX).
The workflow automation and datahandling, as well as the optimizationengine, is provided by themodeFRONTIER optimization tool. The time and computational resources
constraints allowed theauthors to perform not morethan one hundred differentdesign evaluations: for thisreason the modeFRONTIER'sefficient and robust MultiObjective Game Theoryalgorithm was selected. The optimization was carriedout in an automatic and
efficient way by modeFRONTIER,exploiting the distributed computingconcept via queuing system.Parallelization was applied both to thesingle computation, and to theoptimization itself.
Results• dry-low-emissions concept
implemented;• pressure losses less that 6%;• high temperature uniformity in the
outlet flow: Patter Factor reducedof 40% respect to the referencecombustor.
The statistical analysis tools ofmodeFRONTIER were used to performsensitivity studies of the consideredparameters on the combustorperformances, while a stochasticrobustness analysis of the foundsolution is currently under progress.
In October 2004, EnginSoft has furtherincreased its involvement in theinternational sales of modeFRONTIERby appointing Paul Grootendorst, as'Business Development ManagerEurope'. The aim is to further expeditethe expansion of modeFRONTIERbusiness in Europe. Paul has a longexperience in building andmaintaining resellers networks for newproducts.
Since its appointment, Paul has builtrelationships with many partnercompanies in various countries. Given
the multi-purpose nature ofmodeFRONTIER, we believe it isimportant to have local partners withexpertise in specific engineering fields such as CFD, fluid-systems, vehicledynamics, crash, structural analysisand more.
Apart from building and maintainingrelationships with independentdistributors, EnginSoft has now set-uplocal representative offices in themost important regions in Europe,thus allowing us close contacts to ourcustomers for offering pre- and post-sales support.
Design Optimization is the next stepafter analysis. Increasingly capableCAE tools and powerful hardware arefacilitating the use of processintegration and optimization to CAEUsers nowadays.
EnginSoft is investing today to makesure that modeFRONTIER continues toplay a dominating role in theinternational market place!
For more information:[email protected]
Newsletter EnginSoft English Special Issue 2006 - 19
EnginSoft ppromotesmodeFRONTIER iin EEuropeAs one of the founders of ES.TEC.O,EnginSoft Optimization TechnologiesS.r.l., having been involved in thefoundation and development ofmodeFRONTIER from the verybeginning, EnginSoft has always putgreat emphasis on establishing strongbusiness networks to further explorebusiness opportunities and to gainmarket share.
Whilst ES.TEC.O headquartered inTrieste is responsible for thedevelopment of the technology,EnginSoft today promotesmodeFRONTIER business through ahybrid network of subsidiaries inEurope and USA, as well as throughpartner channels - distributors,software producers - in these andother territories. In fact, the networkof subsidiaries can be seen as'corporate branch' of the EnginSoftline of business devoted to PIDO(Process Integration and MDO), andhence is called ESTECO.
In this Newsletter issue, we are verypleased to present our initiatives andrecent opening of business operationsfor modeFRONTIER in such importantmarkets as Germany, the Nordiccountries, Spain and the UnitedKingdom. We are confident to succeedin these markets given our world class
multi-objective optimization platformmodeFRONTIER combined with thelocal teams of experts, expertise andcommitment in place! For more information aboutmodeFRONTIER business in Europe,please visit: www.modefrontier.eu
EnginSoft aand mmodeFRONTIERnetwork ccommunity
20 - Newsletter EnginSoft English Special Issue 2006
modeFRONTIER iin FFrance
Looking beyond 5 years of fruitfulcooperation, EnginSoft and SIREHNAare delighted to start businessoperations as ESTECO France in autumn2006. Besides marketing and directsales, ESTECO will from now oncoordinate distribution activities - in aEuropean context - between variousbusiness players in France, such asCetim and Tass.
SIREHNA is an independent companyinvolved in consultancy and R&D fortwenty years that is in particulardealing with :
- European and National researchprojects about MDO (Multi-disciplinary Design Optimization)
- Studies involving MDO in themarine, automotive, aeronautic andindustrial fields
- Distribution of CAE relatedsoftware, and in particularmodeFRONTIER
Jean-Jacques MAISONNEUVE is ourProject Engineer for simulation relatedfields. Jean-Jacques has significanttechnical expertise in modeFRONTIERand is the expert for MDO at SIREHNA.
When it comes to CAD and mechanicalcalculations and optimization, FabianPECOT is our dedicated expert incharge. Fabian also supports us as
Project Engineer.Yves-Marie LEFEBVRE is our ProjectEngineer and expert for CFD. In hisrole, Yves-Marie is also responsible forCFD pre and post-processors marketing(FieldView and GridGen).
Finally, Fabrice PERONNO is our SalesEngineer for modeFRONTIER.
The French market for optimal designtools is still young. A significantgrowth isexpected, as manymajor industrialactors, inparticular in theautomotive andaeronautic fields, are now stronglyinvestigating these approaches. Thisincrease in need must be supported byactions aiming at demonstrating theapplicability of these techniques to allindustrial fields, and enhancing theircapabilities to fill in some of the gapsthat are still remaining.
In this context, SIREHNA is currentlyleading the research and developmentproject MDO-EMC2 which is partlyfunded by the French government and
expected to disseminateoptimal designtechnologies in themaritime and automotivedomains, in cooperationwith some regionalindustrial partners suchas DCN, Barre THOMASand MECACHROME.Moreover, we are involvedfor many years in othernational or European R&Dprojects aiming at
promoting and extending theapplicability of optimal design.
Our modeFRONTIER customers to datespan various industries from
aeronautics (Onera, Giat and other),automotive (e.g. Honda Racing,Michelin) to maritime (DCN Toulon andLorient, BEC and more) andmiscellaneous (Air Liquide, St Gobain,Novachem). In addition, manyacademic licenses have been supplied,especially in the maritime sector allover Europe.
One of the most successful exploitationof modeFRONTIER is currentlyperformed by Bassin d'Essais des
Carènes (BEC). The company usesmodeFRONTIER routinely in the shiphull design process, in association withspecific potential flow and RANSEsolvers, on the basis of 6 licensesrunning on a cluster of PC.
We work closely with ECN / IRCCyN ona number of topics related to optimaldesign, in particular through R&Dprojects. We also support relationshipswith other French or Europeanuniversities linked to research ornetworking activities.
Given the above, a growing number ofcustomers in various fields and manynational and European research anddevelopment projects, we are proud tocontribute to the success ofmodeFRONTIER in France and Europe !
SIREHNA - ESTECO France 1 Rue de la Noë BP 4210544321 Nantes cedex 03 - France www.sirehna.comContact : Jean-Pierre Le [email protected]. +33 2 51 86 02 86
EnginSoft and SIREHNA form ESTECO France
modeFRONTIER iin SSweden, DDenmark,Norway, FFinland aand IIcelandESTECO Nordic founded in August 2006
Newsletter EnginSoft English Special Issue 2006 - 21
Shortly after business operations havestarted, ESTECO Nordic will move to itsnew base at IDEON Science Park inLund in November 2006. The proximityto Copenhagen Kastrup InternationalAirport, Scandinavia’s main gatewayto the world, will be an essentialfactor in expanding business to aterritory as large as the one foreseenfor ESTECO Nordic.
Further advantages are without doubtthe office’s central location withinÖresund, an area of high economicexpansion and the closeness toGothenburg and its strong automotiveindustry.
Håkan Strandberg, MScMech Eng, brings in 10years working experiencewith FEM to ESTECONordic. He was in chargeof Sales of ANSYS CAESoftware for 8 years. In this role, Hakan acquired keyaccounts and established relationshipswith companies such as Volvo, SAAB,Nokia, Sony Ericsson, TetraPak, AlfaLaval and Metso.
Åke Burman, Phd,with 20+ yearsexperience fromnumerical simu-lations, foundedValidus Engineeringin 1987, a
consultancy firm specialized instructural analysis, crash, CFD and MBSanalysis. Validus’ client basecomprises, among others, Volvo Aero,Westinghouse, Maersk Olie og Gas,Norsk Hydro, Tetra Pak as well as Nikonand Canon in Japan. Still today, Åke contributes 20 percentof his time to the Department ofMachine Design, Lund Institute ofTechnology, this connection datesback to his full-time engagement in
1985. Åke also supports strong ties tothe Department for Civil Engineeringof Carnegie Mellon University,Pittsburgh, PA since his involvementas “Visiting Professor” in the years1995-1997.
The main industries for modeFRONTIERin the Nordic market are certainlyautomotive, aircraft, heavy machines(paper), defence, oil & gas andelectronics. We address the biggestpotential specifically in crash anddefence whereas we considerelectronics also worth investigating.How we place ourselves remains to beseen in the months ahead and requiresevaluation and review at a time when
we have experienced firstreactions from the market andprospective customers.
We intend to establish ESTECONordic as a complete supplier ofsoftware, training, support and
related services.
A case study already made byTetraPak in Modena, Italycould lead to a promisingstart as the company’sheadquarter is located inLund, just a stone throwaway from our office.
We work with EngstromDynamics AB, for Adams, andconsider collaborations withother companies. We plan todetermine and define thenature of these relations inthe next 2 months. Strongties already exist at thispoint in time with ValidusEngineering, Åke’s own firm.Validus supports us inknowledge transfer and mayopen doors to pilot projectsin appropriate cases andapplications.
We see a lot of potential formodeFRONTIER in PIDO ProcessIntegration and Design Optimization.It will be very interesting to work inone of the fastest growing CAE marketsegments. – We look forward toexploring these challengingopportunities in the months ahead !
ESTECO Nordic AB c/o Validus Engineering ABP.O. Box 806SE-245 18 STAFFANSTORPSwedenContact: Hakan StrandbergPhone: +46 46 25 98 30Mobile: +46 73 650 12 60Fax: +46 46 25 98 40Contact: Håkan [email protected]
EnginSoft is pleased to collaborate withIcon Ltd, an independent simulationservices company, to establish anddevelop modeFRONTIER business in theUnited Kingdom. For more than adecade, Icon has successfully deliveredsupport and expertise in ComputationalFluid Dynamics (CFD) and ComputerAided Engineering (CAE) as well as inthe application and development ofmultimedia and Internet technologies.
Icon and its team of skilled engineersis determined to rapidly develop andmaintain the modeFRONTIER customerbase in the UK while providingunrivalled support and expertise in thefield of automatic optimization. Thiswill be achieved through the formationof the ESTECO UK Ltd business.ESTECO UK’s main office is located inWest Kensington (West London),allowing easy access to the rest of theUK via road, rail and air.In February 2006, David Green wasappointed Commercial Director ofESTECO UK. Based in Coventry, thusenabling easier access to the northern
part of the country,David is responsiblefor defining andexecuting Sales andMarketing plans formodeFRONTIER inthe UK market.The ESTECO UK teamof experts includes
Paolo Geremia. Paolo acts as TechnicalSpecialist who coordinates andprovides an extensive range of directsupport to our customers formodeFRONTIER. When it comes to CFD
simulations involvingm o d e F R O N T I E R ,Francisco Campos isIcon’s dedicatedTechnical Expert incharge. Finally,Simon Weston holdsthe position of
General Manager at Icon. In his role,Simon is responsible for installing anddeveloping an overall businessinfrastructure that is essential forproviding support to the client base.modeFRONTIER business is diverse andcan be foreseen anywhere fromScotland to the City of London.However, the main local industries arewithout doubt:• Aerospace: Airbus-UK, Rolls-Royce,
BAE Systems, Pall Aerospace,Dunlop Aerospace
• Automotive: F1 companies(Renault, Williams, McLaren,Midland-F1), Jaguar/Land Rover,Mahle (formerly CosworthTechnology)
• Defence: Qinetic• Areas of Application: CFD - 4 major
CFD software tools all originated inthe UK (STAR-CD, Fluent, CFX,OpenFOAM)
Another target area we see for thefuture is the Financial Sector in the Cityof London. We also cover and supportthe Australian and South Africanmarkets from our UK office due tosimilarities in language and cultures.Some of our customers to date includeAir International based in Melbourne,Australia, Jaguar Cars in Coventry, UKand Midland-F1 Racing Limited locatedin Northamptonshire, UK. We areencouraged by the fact that Audi AGhas chosen modeFRONTIER whenperforming a CFD optimization case forthe new Audi TT. We believe this maylead to further opportunities in theautomotive sector.To strengthen our position on themarket, ESTECO UK collaboratesintensively with Icon. They assist us inproviding independent technicalcapabilities that allow modeFRONTIERto be professionally and efficientlyintroduced into customer processes. A close cooperation also exists withTNO Automotive TASS who act as
modeFRONTIER distributors. Also basedin Coventry, they are specificallyfocussed on the occupant safetymarket. Jaguar and Land Rover aresome of the strategic automotivecustomers located in the same area.Optimization technology is a newconcept to many prospectivecustomers. It remains to be seen howenthusiastic individual local marketsare about introducing new technologyor replacing existing software. We areaware that how well we coordinate andcommunicate our commercial andsupport efforts will be critical inacquiring and maintaining newcustomers. To succeed in thischallenge, our activities includecollecting and presenting referenceaccounts and papers, exhibiting andpresenting our technical capabilities atconferences and seminars. Furthermore,we are leveraging other softwarecompanies, e.g. CD-adapco and ANSYSUK for joint seminar initiatives. We areconvinced that we are selling a verygood piece of software and we arepositive about the future and thedemand for automatic optimization.
ESTECO UK Ltd.PO Box 54248 West Kensington London W14 9AF United KingdomPhone: +44 (0) 870 086 9711Email: [email protected]: www.esteco-uk.com Sales Contact:David Green, Commercial Directore-mail: [email protected]
modeFRONTIER iin UUnited KKingdomBusiness operation commenced in January 2006
22 - Newsletter EnginSoft English Special Issue 2006
modeFRONTIER iin GGermanyESTECO GmbH founded in December 2005.
Newsletter EnginSoft English Special Issue 2006 - 23
ESTECO GmbH is based inRottenburg/Neckar, 30 minutes fromStuttgart, at the heart of the Germanautomotive and automotive supplierindustry. Prominent local automotiveOEMs and suppliers includeDaimlerChrysler, Porsche, Robert-Bosch,Behr, Mahle, Modine.Frieder Semler is the ManagingDirector of ESTECO GmbH.Frieder has 18 yearsexperience in CFD consultancy.He held the position ofManaging Director of AEA TechnologyGmbH (CFX) from 1993 to 1998. In 1998 he founded CFD ConsultantsGmbH of which he is a Managing Partner.Our team further includes RenéThümmler of CFD Consultants who isresponsible for user support. René hasprovided consultancy services usingmodeFRONTIER to Audi AG in the pastyear. To expand business further, a SalesEngineer will be hired shortly. Germancar manufacturers need to differentiatethemselves from the competition bytechnical excellence. It is for this reasonthat the automotive industry is the mostinteresting market segment for
optimization software in Germany. Whenit comes to the German market andtechnical software, a convincingtechnical solution is a prerequisite forsuccessful selling. In other words, weneed to possess good knowledge ofoptimization and have a sound
application knowledge invarious areas such asstructural analysis, CFD, multibody dynamics etc. We aim toaccomplish this by partneringwith institutions active in
these areas, for example CADFEM,FLOWMASTER, INTEC and others.
Our customer base to date comprises• Audi AG, DaimlerChrysler AG, Modine
Europe GmbH, Sulzer Innotec, ToyotaMotorsport GmbH
• German Aerospace Center (DLR)• Institute for Vehicle Dynamics, BTU
Cottbus; Institute for Fluid Dynamics(LSTM), Erlangen; Institute forInternal Combustion Engines (VKM),RWTH Aachen
Toyota Motorsport GmbH and Audi AGincreased the number of licenses andintensified the use of modeFRONTIER.
We collaborate with Prof. Rösler of FHTEEsslingen who acts as independent"sales consultant" and we plan toengage another expert from Universityof Cooperative Education Mosbach in thesame way. We support people at theInstitute of Internal CombustionEngines and Automotive Engineering(IVK) of Stuttgart University who areusing modeFRONTIER in conjunctionwith FLOWMASTER in the project'Optimized Thermal Management'. In thiscontext we are also aiming at apartnership with FLOWMASTER GmbH.We are very optimistic about the futuregiven the excellent productmodeFRONTIER and our presence on theGerman market that we have establishedto date. We look forward to expandingbusiness further in the months and yearsahead.
ESTECO GmbH Sprollstr. 10/1 D-72108 Rottenburg Germany Tel: +49 7472 988688 0 Fax: +49 7472 988688 99 Contact: Frieder Semler e-mail: [email protected]
APERIO Tecnologia is currentlybased in Sitges, near Barcelona,Spain’s door to Europe and one ofits most progressive cities,known for its spirit of innovationand economic development. Dr. Gino Duffett will beconducting modeFRONTIER business onbehalf of EnginSoft. Gino possessesover 20 years of experience in FEsimulation as software developer,project manager, R&D manager andsupplier of services and software.
We see opportunities in the generalengineering market, in particular in theaeronautics, energy and construction
industries. Anotherchallenging field is bio-mechanics, bearing in mindmodeFRONTIER’s previoussuccesses in this sector.
Once we have establishedbusiness operations in the Barcelonaarea, we shall aim at entering intosales collaborations with othermodeFRONTIER vendors in Europe. Webelieve this will strengthen ourposition in the local market,specifically when it comes to the pointof approaching larger European-wideactive corporations and prospectivecustomers.
modeFRONTIER’s potential is large dueto its generality and capability ofoptimizing almost anything! The abilityto couple modeFRONTIER to anysoftware is particularly attractive tomany engineers. All of this opens doorsto many opportunities - we lookforward to starting operations andlaunching modeFRONTIER in Spain!
Contact: Gino Duffett email: [email protected] Tecnología en Ingeniería S.L.Joan Ramón Benapres 28, 2 – 208870 Sitges - SpainTel: +34-938.947.501Mobile: +34-686.981.705
modeFRONTIER iin SSpain
Newsletter EnginSoft English Special Issue 2006 - 25
ANSYS (Nasdaq: ANSS), a globalinnovator of simulation software andtechnologies designed to optimizeproduct development processes,recently announced it has signed adefinitive agreement to acquire Fluent,Inc., a global provider of computeraided engineering (CAE) simulationsoftware.
ANSYS expects the acquisition to beimmediately accretive to earnings,excluding acquisition-related costs,amortization of intangibles, the impactof deferred revenue purchaseaccounting treatment and expensing ofstock options. The company used acombination of existing cash andproceeds from approximately $200million of committed bank financing tofund the transaction.
Fluent, Inc. is a global supplier of CAEsimulation software technologies andservices. Fluent products utilizecomputational fluid dynamics (CFD)principles and techniques to enableengineers and designers to simulatefluid flow, heat and mass transfer, andrelated phenomena involvingturbulent, reacting, and multiphaseflow. The company's products are usedby blue chip companies, small andmedium sized enterprises, andacademic institutions and institutesaround the world. Today, CFDsimulation technology is used inalmost every industry sector andmanufactured product.
"With the acquisition of Fluent, ANSYShas significantly broadened itsofferings in the simulation market. Iexpect ANSYS to be an importantpartner to design engineers inindustries, from discrete manu-
facturing, oil and gas,chemicals, foodprocessing, as well asto environmentalscientists studyinghow pollution propa-gates and oceano-graphers trying topredict the effects ofglobal warming.
Ships, airplanes, cars, your PC, home,office building and the environment -all will work better, be more efficient,pollute less or be better managed as aresult of a better understanding of thedynamics of the gases and liquids inwhich, and with which, they operate,"commented Daratech CEO Charles M.Foundyller.
Jim Cashman, ANSYS President and CEOadded, "Finalizing the acquisition ofFluent is great news for us, ourcustomers and partners. We are veryexcited to be able to move forwardtoday as a unified company and beginexecuting our strategy for the future.""With the operations and technologysynergies that Fluent and ANSYS share,we are confident that we can meet theneeds of the CAE community forsimulation software and services in ahighly effective manner," said Dr. FeritBoysan, Vice President and GeneralManager, Fluids Business Unit.
The combination of ANSYS' and Fluent'ssoftware products and services isexpected to give ANSYS one of themost comprehensive, independentengineering simulation softwareofferings in the industry, reaffirmingand strengthening ANSYS' commitmentto open interface and flexible
simulation solutions that are primarilydriven by customer demand and choice.With over 40 direct sales offices and 17development centers, on threecontinents, the combined company willemploy approximately 1,350 people. Apresentation describing the transactionis available on the ANSYS website at:www.ansys.com
About ANSYS, Inc.ANSYS, Inc., founded in 1970, developsand globally markets engineeringsimulation software and technologieswidely used by engineers and designersacross a broad spectrum of industries.The Company focuses on thedevelopment of open and flexiblesolutions that enable users to analyzedesigns directly on the desktop,providing a common platform for fast,efficient and cost conscious productdevelopment, from design concept tofinal-stage testing and validation. The Company and its global network ofchannel partners provide sales, supportand training for customers.Headquartered in Canonsburg,Pennsylvania U.S.A. with more than 40strategic sales locations throughoutthe world, ANSYS, Inc. and itssubsidiaries employ approximately1,350 people and distribute ANSYSproducts through a network of channelpartners in over 40 countries.
Visit http://www.ansys.com for moreinformation.
ANSYS ssigns ddefinitive AAgreement ttoacquire FFluent, tthus bbroadening iitsofferings iin tthe SSimulation MMarket
MAGMAfrontier is the answer to thedreams of many foundry andtechnology designers, namely to usecomputer simulation to automaticallyoptimize the casting process withouthaving to go through a time-consuming series of manual trial anderror guessestimates and to produceample documentation to justifyalternative options.
MAGMAfrontier deals with the subjectboth in relation to the optimization ofprocess conditions and the parametersof production and methods, for a widerange of casting processes. In everyeffect, the solution is a MAGMASOFT®module that requires the base version4.4. of the software to run and whichuses, like all the other modules, thedatabase.
OverviewMAGMAfrontier uses the originalmodeFRONTIER architecture and theoptimization routines that implement,through the user interface, the fullintegration between the two systemsand is perfectly homogeneous in theusual user software environment. Theuser is guided through the definition ofthe process parameters that can bemodified, as well as the associatedaccepted variation intervals, in thedefinition of the optimizationobjectives and the limitation and theevaluation criteria. The system thenautomatically launches a series oftechnologies present in the module forthe identification of the optimizedsolution. This operation, thanks toseries of technologies available, isundertaken keeping the computingneeds within very tight limits. The strategies chosen for optimizationbelong to the family of evolutionaryalgorithms that are able to deal withthe problem of different andconflicting objectives at the sametime, this being a characteristic of
most of the decisions that have to betaken in the foundry when the need isto obtain the best compromize for anefficient casting technique.
OpportunityMAGMAfrontier takes on the problemsof optimization that are typical in thefoundry:
• Optimization of the feeding system,maximum reduction of shrinkageporosity in the cast through theoptimal positioning and sizing ofthe feeders with, at the same time,
the optimization of productivity. • Optimization of the casting system:
balanced filling without turbulencethanks to the optimal sizing of thecasting gating systems.Homogeneous distribution of thefluid during die filling.
• Optimization of the process:minimisation of thermal loadswithin the equipment thanks tothermal regulation, lubrificationand optimal shake out time withsimultaneous optimization ofproductivity (increase equipmentlife).
New MMAGMAfrontiermoduleAutomatic optimization is no longer a dream but areality available to all foundry designers.
26 - Newsletter EnginSoft English Special Issue 2006
Optimization process with MAGMAfrontier. Based on a selection of start designs withcertain degrees of freedom and manufacturing limitations, the optimizationalgorithm analyses various objectives at the same time. In this example castingquality and returns.
Feeder optimization for the prevention of porosities. (a)initial situation (b) optimized result.
Newsletter EnginSoft English Special Issue 2006 - 27
• Optimization of the forming methodtaking into account at the sametime the properties required for thecasting to be produced.
• Optimization of the stresses anddistortions in the casts:minimisation of distortions due toresidual stresses.
• Inverse optimization: identificationof the properties of the materialand the process parameters on thebasis of the experimental dataavailable.
Evaluation tools Multi-objective optimization is acomplex process to be specialized tothe application. For this reason thereare numerous tools available,including: • Identification of the optimized
solutions (Pareto frontiers).• Dispersion diagrams.• Calculation of the sensitivity of
output values in respect to inputvalues
• Analyses of variation range. • Data analyses for inverse problem
solutions• Graphical representation of target
functions and the generation ofdiagrams.
• Representation of thedevelopment of distributionvariables / frequency.
• Statistical and graphical analysis oflimits.
• Visualisation of optimizationprogress.
MAGMAfrontier uses modeFRONTIER 2.5and is available for all operatingsystems and for single or doubleprocessor platforms, as well as Linux PCclusters.
MAGMA e MAGMASOFT® are theregistered trade marks of MAGMAGeissereitechnologie GmbH.modeFRONTIER is a registered trademark of ES.TEC.O srl.
For further information:Ing. Nicola GramegnaResp. Prodotto [email protected]
Casting distortion before and after the optimization of runner designs. Varying theweb width of the runner between the individual feeders leads to different rigiditiesand shrinkage constraints of the component. The distortion of the bend wassignificantly reduced after taking these measures.
Optimization of a runner in high pressure die casting. MAGMAfrontier optimizes thegeometry of the runner with the aim to reduce the amount of entrapped air duringthe filling process. (a) bad design with areas of entrapped air (b) optimizedgeometry of the runner.
Engineering and ServicesOptimal Casting Solutions
Competing today requires a strong knowledge base. EnginSoft Engineering andServices is a group of casting experts that has the right technologies availablefor working with foundries and companies finding solutions to metal castingchallenges. Our metallurgists, process engineers and mechanical engineers arecommitted to assist in:
- Interactions between design and production processes- Prediction of casting properties for designers- Integration of process simulation into the Design Chain and FEA validations- Optimization of part design- Involvement in prototype castings and process development- Production development and optimization
With our CAE tools and knowledge we are able to predict the complex, oftenhidden aspects of the casting process, supporting our customers in theachievement of continuous improvement, streamlined productivity, top qualityand cost reduction.
For more information:[email protected]
28 - Newsletter EnginSoft English Special Issue 2006
New sshareholders ffor LLINFLOW
EnginSoft is participating in therefinancing and internationalre-launch of LINFLOW with thepurchase of 15% of the sharecapital of the new softwarecompany. Other partners, ofEnginSoft and TechNet AllianceMembers, including CADFEM, FIGES theEnglish and Irish IDAC have also takenstakes, thus confirming their interestin a technology that, albeit veryspecific, has interesting potentialapplications. LINFLOW is a software for the CFDanalysis of fluid-structure interactionsin the presence of non stationary butnon viscous flows. In aerodynamics,the package is known for aeroelasticityapplications, that is to say for thestudy of the interactions betweenstructure and aerodynamics and theinstability that can derive from thecoupling between aerodynamic flowand structural dynamics. LINFLOW can also be applied toacoustic analysis (with the possibilityof defining the conditions of complex
acoustic impedance andfunction of frequency), theanalyses of theinteractions betweenstability and vibration offan blades and, as an
initial tool, the preliminaryfluidodynamic study of vehicles andaircraft (external aerodynamics, bothstationary and not stationary). Otherpossible areas of application are thestudy of sails and the effects of windloads on buildings. From a numericalpoint of view, LINFLOW is based onBEM (Boundary Element Method) thatis generally thought to be moreefficient for non stationary /acousticaerodynamic calculations compared tofinite element or finite volumemethods. The application of LINFLOW generallyrequires negligible vorticity as in thecase of smooth flows (linear acoustic),or a confined vorticity of thefluiddynamic field near thin surfaces,such as for example, the wake ofaerodynamic bodies immersed in low
incidence flows and high ReynoldsNumbers. At present it is possible toconsider compressible flows, but onlyat subsonic speeds. The greatest advantage, and the mostsurprising aspect of the software, is itssignificant content of usefulinformation from an engineering pointof view which can be taken fromLINFLOW and applied in some otherapplications at a low computationalcost when compared to the moresophisticated CFD Navier-Stokes codes.In the same way, LINFLOW can useinformation from ANSYS CFX,representing a possible integration.
Some LINFLOW users: Piaggio AeroIndustries, Norsk Hydro, Statoil, DeltaMarine, SAAB Bofors, GE India, Porsche,China Aero Industries.EnginSoft is the exclusive distributorfor Italy and Spain.
For further information:Ing. Roberto [email protected]
EnginSoft, together with CADFEM, FIGES, IDAC UK and IDAC Ireland,acquires shares in LINFLOW
Flow domain visualization with LINFLOW.
Cross flow result plots.
30 - Newsletter EnginSoft English Special Issue 2006
Pressure DDie CCasting MMachines:Setup aand OOptimization oof tthe PProcessusing mmodeFRONTIERThe use of new generation softwaretools for the automatic choice ofoptimal process parameters is animportant innovation for pressure diecasting. This paper describes theapplication of modeFRONTIER softwareto the management of both theoperative aspects of the processparameters (the distribution ofproduction orders to the pressesavailable in the department), aspectsrelated to the optimization of theprocess parameters (die heat balanceto define the quality range for thecast), and the definition of scenariosfor the integration of the processparameters, optimizer and retroactionon the press to re-enter in theproduction quality standards.
The automation of a production planthas been, and will continue to be apriority objective for modern industryin order to improve and ensure productquality and increase the productiveefficiency of the transformationprocesses. In the case of the foundry,plant automation requires eachindividual phase in the productioncycle be controlled by programmable
logic (PLC) and that the modularity andrepeatability of the actions permit theadoption of mechanized devices.Beyond any shadow of doubt, thepressure die casting plant is ideal forthe implementation of specificfunctions such as logic, sequencing,timing, counting and calculation forthe complete control of the processand the product.
The electronic systems and digitalfunctioning are today adopted withinthe single areas of the pressure diecasting plant: the press, the transportrobots, the lubrication and blower arm,shearing press, finishing systems andsafety devices. However, each area hasa different PLC that has to beintegrated and synchronized with theothers and so it is necessary that themachine operates as a single plant witha control system at a higher, such ascompany, level.
modeFRONTIER software can easilyinterface with different local controlsystems, on individual machines andprocesses and thus become a
‘controller’ of the pressure die castingplant as well as all the productionequipment or the entire factory for theset up and optimization of theproduction of single products and themonitoring of the efficiency and costs,and the management of productionorders. modeFRONTIER has all thefunctions needed in that it: • is able to connect local control
systems and manage the logicsequence of the operations;
• is complete with methods of thedesign of experiments (DoE);
• offers a massive variety ofalgorithms for the multi-objectiveoptimization;
• provides summary descriptions ofphenomena (and their reciprocalinfluences) with response surfacemethods (RSM);
• allows statistical approaches,evaluations and optimization;
• contains Multi Criteria DecisionMaking (MCDM) decision supportmethods.
DESCRIPTION OF THE MACHINERYMANAGEMENT FLOWS The condition for the use of controland optimization tools is that each
1a) The Overall Process Control 1b) Acquisition of orders and Distribution of work load
Newsletter EnginSoft English Special Issue 2006 - 31
operation, equipment and mechanismof the pressure die casting machinerycan be described by a group of logicand numerical data that represent theproductive processing details from themolten metal to the finished piece (fig.1 a). The first information forproduction comes from the customer’sorder which gives the geometric andmechanical specifications of the pieceto be produced. Taken that press-product relationship has beenoptimized in terms of cast quality, highproductivity and cost reduction, thesystem installed on the company’sserver is able to acquire the list oforders and distribute it to the variousmachines on the basis of the work load,press capacity and internal andexternal priorities (fig. 1b). The press-product association, even thoughstudied at the design stage usingnumerical simulation tools, has now topass into practical application and thisimplies the complete knowledge of thereal (not simulated) potential of theplant and the translation of thesenotions into a numerical routine.
The management system has to knowthe pressure die casting machinery asits ‘children’ and so the sampling phasecan be used not only for the productionof the first prototypes but also as theinstructions and ‘educational’ phase.An adequate set of process parameters(DoE - fig. 2a) and the consequentautomatic acquisition of the outputs,
via PLC, provides the discrete base forthe construction of the so-calledresponse surface methods (RSM) thatrepresent the numerical version of thereal production process. It is thenpossible to generate the optimal RSMthat covers every point of the set ofideal parameters for production, withone parameter for each qualityobjective/indices proposed. It is also possible to define a superioror lower RSM of the product qualitylimits (fig. 2b). The hyperspacecontinuum (not discreet) of thevariables within the upper and lowerquality limits are compared with theproduction data in real time for animmediate evaluation of the qualitylevel and any automatic scrapping of anon-conforming piece that does not,therefore, continue on the line forfinishing and packaging.modeFRONTIER’s set of responsesurface methods set is all the morereliable the more the sampling is donein strict compliance with the definedDoE.
The monitoring of production filesprovides new input for the fine tuningand updating of the RSM. The systemthat verifies a wrong set of parametersmust not only rejuct thenonconforming piece but also anyreaction on the variables that are thecause of the problem so as to return tothe pre-established quality range. If,for example, the cast presents cold
joints or lack of filling, the softwarechecks if the times and speeds ofinjection have changed or if the dieheat balance has changed and, inconsequence, acts on the injection orheat regulation and lubricationsystems. There is no limit to the orderbook and the associated data that canbe archived and thus used forstatistical analyses for the definition ofroutine and extraordinary maintenanceprogrammes in relation to the fatiguelife of single components or parts ofthe structure. The work flow andcorresponding production control canbe summarized as follows: • order acquisition from the company
system and distribution of work tothe compatible machinery,
• definition of sampling (DoE) for thegeneration of the response surfacemethods (RSM),
• analysis of sensitivity andcorrelations between input andoutput,
• exportation of RSM to numericalroutines for the control ofproduction,
• monitoring of production and anycorrections,
• monitoring of production andupdating of Response SurfaceMethods,
• statistical and cost analyses ofproduction.
For further information:Ing. Nicola [email protected]
2a) The DOE and RSM phases 2b) QA and Retrofit
32 - Newsletter EnginSoft English Special Issue 2006
MATLAB seamlessly integrated into modeFRONTIER’s Multi-OObjectiveOptimization and Design Environment
ES.TEC.O srl, a leader in multi-disciplinary optimization software,today announced that it has become amember of The MathWorks ConnectionsProgram. This partnership is based onthe easy-to-use Direct Integrationinterface between The MathWorks'flagship product, MATLAB, andES.TEC.O's modeFRONTIER.
The MathWorks Connections Program isavailable to third-party organizationsthat develop and distributecomplementary, commerciallyavailable products and services basedon the MATLAB technical computingenvironment. Connections Program partners helpMATLAB users by providing industry orapplication-specific technology to filltheir need for a complete solution.Partner products offer solutions thatare seamlessly integrated withMathWorks products and ensureongoing compatibility in conjunctionwith new MATLAB releases.
"We are very pleased to be a part ofThe MathWorks Connections Program,"said Carlo Poloni, President ofES.TEC.O. "This is a key opportunitythat will allow us to offer bettersupport and a better product to thewide community of engineers and
scientists who use MATLAB to simulatetheir products. It will allow us tofurther penetrate challengingindustrial sectors ranging fromaerospace to consumer productswherever product quality is a must andwhere multidisciplinary analysis andoptimization gives competitiveadvantages. We really look forward tothe many opportunities that thispartnership will bring us."
modeFRONTIER provides users ofMATLAB with a multi-objectiveoptimization tool which allows themto couple their multi-physics solversin a multi-disciplinary designenvironment by exchanging resultswith other software packages. Oncethe user has defined designparameters and specified objectives,the whole process, including theautomated launching of allcomponents, is driven bymodeFRONTIER, using a variety ofstate-of-the-art optimization
techniques. These range fromgradient-based methods and Simplexto genetic algorithms and GameTheory
About The MathWorks, Inc.The MathWorks is the world's leadingdeveloper of technical computingsoftware for engineers and scientistsin industry, government, andeducation. With an extensive productset based on MATLAB® and Simulink®,The MathWorks provides software andservices to solve challenging problemsand accelerate innovation inautomotive, aerospace,communications, financial services,biotechnology, electronics,instrumentation, process, and otherindustries. The MathWorks wasfounded in 1984 and employs morethan 1000 people worldwide, withheadquarters in Natick, Massachusetts.
For additional information, visit:www.mathworks.com
ES.TEC.O bbecomes aaProduct PPartner oof ttheMathworks CConnections PProgram
EnginSoft aand AANSYS iin tthe sstudy oofpressure eequipment
Newsletter EnginSoft English Special Issue 2006 - 33
By tradition, one of the areas whereCAE is most widely employed is in thedesign and production of structuresand components subject to internalpressure for which the potential riskslinked to structural failure can resultin dangerous direct hazards such asexplosions or shock waves, or indirectimpacts including leaks and thedispersion of dangerous materials. Theneed for special attention to safetyfactors is therefore evident.
The design of equipment of this typeis, consequently, subject to conformitywith the obligations imposed by localand international standards which setthe minimum requirements forstructural resistance that the designhas to respect for the component tobe acceptable. The design is calculated to conform tothe required standard by theapplication of either the design bycode approach, with which design istested against the minimumdimensions requested by the standard,or the design by analysis method,where a more realistic approach isadopted with the application of CAE(typically FEA).
These approaches to standardsconformity are typical of the chemical,process and energy industries but they
also find applicationin less obvioussectors such as those linked to theconstruction of machinery withcompressed air circuits, heatingsystems, etc.
For these applications, EnginSoft hasfor years been a key industry partnerin the supply of a complete solutionfor all the needs of its customers. Thecompany can supply bench marksimulation technologies (ANSYS/CFX),with features that make the simulationof the design needs of the sector easyto simulate. These range from theevaluation of heat exchange balancedto fluid-structure interactions, and thecalculation of stress analysis includingthe effects of pressure, heat stress andexternal loads, in addition to makingthe aggregated results immediatelyavailable in the form required by thestandard in question, for example the
linearization and classification oftensions.
In addition, the team of EnginSoftengineers can boast a long and welldocumented experience in the sectorin which it has worked for yearsproviding consultancy services toleading companies that include SnamProgetti, Nuovo Pignone, FosterWheeler, Tecnimont, Imar and others.A wide range of work has beenundertaken for these companiesincluding detailed analyses of heatexchange in heat exchangers,evaluation of the effects due to flowscaused by structural and dynamicreactions, and optimization ofstructural characteristics and theinsulation needed to reduce thermalstress.
EnginSoft specialistsare able to take onprojects such as thoselisted above from thecreation of the modelswith the complexityand accuracy requiredby the specific case inhand to the provisionof the documentationfor presentation to thecertification andcontrol body for thestandards of interest.
Thermo-mechanical stress analysis on the tubesheet of a S&T heat exchanger
Thermo-mechanical stress analysis on the tubesheet of a S&T heat exchanger
34 - Newsletter EnginSoft English Special Issue 2006
A novel methodology has been used todesign the layout of the tip coolingnozzles of a high pressure rotor bladeturbine.The methodology used is through acomplete CAE approach, by means of aparametric CFD model which is runmany times for the exploration ofseveral designs by an optimizer.Hence the design is carried outautomatically by parallel computations,with the optimization algorithmstaking the decisions rather than thedesign engineer. The engineer insteadtakes decision regarding the physicalsettings of the CFD model to employ,the number and the extension of thegeometrical parameters of the blade tipholes and the optimization algorithmsto be employed.The final design of the tip coolinggeometry found by the optimizerproved to be better than the basedesign (which used mean values of allinput parameters) and also better thanthe design proposed by an experiencedheat transfer AVIO engineer, who usedstandard best practice methods.Furthermore the large number ofexperiences gained by the severalsimulations run by the optimizergenerated a virtual database of tipcooling configurations, allowing thedesigner to find laws, functions andcorrelation between input parametersand performance output, with a furtherand deeper insight into this specificdesign blade cooling problem.
METHODOLOGYThis study is part of an AVIO projectconcerning the development of HighPressure Turbine blades with advanced
cooling systems. Due to thehigh gas temperatures enteringthe turbine of the most recentaero-engines in general up to 2000 K atthe turbine inlet at 40 bars, a veryefficient cooling system is required inorder to maintain the metaltemperatures below the allowablelimits. This means to use a certainamount of "cold" air directly extractedfrom the compressor, with a significantnegative impact on the engineperformance.
One of the most critical area, from athermal point of view, is the tip regionof the unshrouded rotor blades. Tipregions are generally cooled using rotorinternal air ejected in the flow paththrough a series of small holes locatedin the tip surfaces. The ejected airmust cover all the surfaces in order to
create a cold film between the hot gasand the metal. As the tip region ischaracterized by a very complex 3Dflow field, it is very difficult tooptimize the cooling system using thestandard design methodologies, alsoconsidering the other blade tiprequirements such as minimising thehot leakage air from pressure to suctionside, which has a negative impact onturbine aerodynamic efficiency.For these reasons the area of the tip isinvestigated with a parametric CFDapproach: a parametric model is runseveral times guided by anoptimization algorithm, such that anoptimal solution in terms ofperformance can be found. This kind ofapproach requires to link an
OptimizationTechniques AApplied ttothe DDesign oof GGasTurbine BBlades CCoolingSystems
Newsletter EnginSoft English Special Issue 2006 - 35optimization software (modeFRONTIER)to a 3/D CFD code (ICEM-CFX5) withthe goal to find the optimal values ofsome geometrical parameters of the tiparea of the high pressure rotor blade,such that certain performanceobjectives are reached. As aconsequence of the geometricalcomplexity of the problem and of thehigh computational time, the use ofthe interpolators or expert systemtechniques becomes compulsory if a3/D fluid-dynamic optimization has tobe approached.Several methods are generally availablewithin optimization software: RSM,ANN, etc. In this case a ANN methodwas chosen because of the nonlinearityof the system.
BLADE CASCADEThis way, after a preliminary series ofCFD analyses and after the estimationof ANN, the 3/D CFD model can besubstituted by a series of mathematicalfunctions and the computational timeis considerably reduced. The expertsystem, represented by a ANN, must beintroduced after a fair number ofanalysis are run, such that the expertsystem is reliable. The error of theexpert system is a known value and isthe parameter which yields the
accuracy of the interpolator relative tothe database of real experiments so faracquired. It is up to the designer tochose the threshold error value of hisexpert system. Basically more CFDanalysis we run, the more trained andthe more accurate the expert systembecomes, but with an increase of theCPU effort, and viceversa. A parametricbatch procedure allows the creation ofdifferent geometrical models, the meshgeneration and the CFD analyses of theblades in an automatic way. A series ofpreliminary CFD simulations is plannedand a screening is performed in orderto build an input-output database.ANN coefficients for the two layers arecalculated by the optimizer. A MOGAalgorithm investigates runs withfurther CFD "Virtual" analysis,
exploring the space of possiblesolutions on the ANN. Basically avirtual optimization of the coolingsystem is carried out without furtherCPU expensive CFD analysis.The best virtual solutions are selectedand the ANN virtual solutions arevalidated by a "real" CFD analysis.More accurate Neural Nets can now beestimated with a larger database. Thevirtual optimization can be executedagain and new and more performingdesigns can be found. This procedure isrepeated till the desired convergenceto the set of optimal solutions isachieved. Finally a layout of tip coolingnozzles is found by the optimizer andvalidated by a CFD analysis. The finaldesign chosen proved to yield the sameheat transfer performance with areduction of approximated 16% of thecooling air required. Hence we canconlcude that a remarkable increase ofperformance of 16% is obtained thanksto an innovative complete CAE designprocess with CFD parametic modelsevolved by optimization algorithms.
For more information:Ing. Lorenzo Bucchieri CFD [email protected]
NAFEMS World Congress 2007May 22-25, 2007 in Vancouver, Canada
NAFEMS is an independent not-for-profit body with the sole aim of promoting the effective use ofengineering simulation methods such as finite element analysis, multibody system dynamics andcomputational fluid dynamics.The NAFEMS World Congress will be the International Congress on Simulation Technology for theEngineering Analysis Community.This conference will bring together world leading industrial practitioners, consultancies, academicresearchers and software developers with a common interestin engineering analysis.Simulation is now established in many engineeringcompanies as part of their product development process.Whilst the conference will cover many aspects of the use ofsimulation, a particular focus will be how the appropriatedeployment of simulation can lead to a further competitiveadvantage through helping to stimulate innovation.Held at the Westin Bayshore Hotel in Vancouver, Canada, on May 22nd-25th 2007, the NAFEMS WorldCongress 2007 is easily accessible from across the globe.EnginSoft will be contributing to the conference with a presentation onLINFLOW, Fluid StructureInteraction (FSI) software.For further information: www.nafems.org/congress
Newsletter EnginSoft English Special Issue 2006 - 37
EnginSoft took part in the second“Young APSN Conference”, organizedby ViSEB Lab, Warsaw University ofTechnology (WUT) on 14th June. APSN (Advanced Passive SafetyNetwork), of which EnginSoft is amember, is a network of over 50European partners working in the fieldof Vehicle Passive Safety (automotivecompanies, producers of safetysystems, service companies, researchinstitutes and universities), with theobjective of activating the scientificand market expertise involved in thesector so as to increase levels of roadsafety at costs that are acceptable toboth the individual and Europeansociety as a whole. The idea of the conference was to offeryoung researchers working in the fieldof road safety an occasion to meet atan event that could favour an exchangeof different experiences and to presentand promote research activities. The conference was preceded by the“IRCOBI Biomechanics Course”, whichallowed participants to extend anddeepen their knowledge of thebiomechanics of impact. EnginSoft isinvolved in the development andimprovement road safety through itscompetences in the fields of CAE,optimization and virtual prototyping.In particular, the activity thatEnginSoft has conducted in the fieldsof crash and fast dynamics whichmatched perfectly with the subjectsunder discussion during the three daysin Warsaw. The themes coveredspanned injury scaling to the anatomyof the human body (head, neck, chestand abdomen) as evaluated in thecontext of road accidents, the physicalmechanism associated with injury andthe critical numbers that define thecauses of such injuries to the use ofdummies for safety testing and thedevelopment of bio-mechanical modelsfor impact tests.
The Polish event provided EnginSoftwith an occasion to consolidate itsposition in a key sector for theharmonisation of standards within theEuropean community and to promoteawareness of the support it can provideto companies working in different waysin the sector of passive safety, and howEnginSoft can become an ideal partnerfor the creation of positive synergies.With the objective of providing evermore closely targeted, quality service,EnginSoft also continues with its ownresearch policy for avant-gardenumerical solutions that, in the
context of road safety are provided bythe following tools:• LS-DYNA (LSTC), codes to the
finished elements for the analysisof fast dynamics;
• VPG/Safety (ETA) module, theenvironment able to create, manageand process complex models for thesimulation of vehicle impacts;
• AnyBody (AnyBody TechnologyA/S), software for modelling themechanics of the human body;
• modeFRONTIER, multidisciplinaryand multi-objective designplatform.
EnginSoft plays an active role in the 9th International LS-DYNA Users Conference, in June 2006 in Detroit
Once again, EnginSoft was invited to take an active role at the conference byreporting on its experiences of strictly industrial applications, this time relatingto the simulation of the fast dynamics phenomena. The subject chosen for thisedition of the conference, was the work performed together with Omega Srl,Research and Innovation Centre, on the development of a new structural designmethodology for motorbike crash helmets.The declared objective was to introduce technical and technological innovationsto the mass produced protective products that are the key players in protectinghuman health, and it was sought by exploiting the synergies of obtainable fromthe experience of numerical simulations with EnginSoft’s own LS-DYNA codesand the experimental capacities of the Omega group’s test laboratories. Theapproach adopted led to the analysis of the structural behaviour of varioussample structures obtained using sandwich technology. modeFRONTIER pilotedall the activities and managed the enormous quantity of data sourced bydistinct disciplines that were numerical for the simulations and practical for thelaboratory tests. The decision support tools and genetic algorithms available inthe modeFRONTIER working environment were applied in two phases. The firstphase focused on calibration and understanding of the effects of the numericparameters of the model and the mechanical parameters of the materials usedin order to represent, and so forecast with complete confidence, the crashbehaviour of the structure made out of the sandwich composite. The secondphase regarded the analysis and subsequent optimization of the completehelmet ‘system’ subject to the impact conditions imposed by current standards.modeFRONTIER’s multi-objective optimization genetic algorithms were used toachieve the best structural performance and the lowest possible weight. Thepresentation given during the conference, which was attended by some 650delegates from all over the world, raised enormous interest because of theindustrial efficacy of the methodology proposed and for the possibleapplications in other fields with different objectives, and even the reduction ofcomputation times of LS-DYNA or robust design processes.
EnginSoft pparticipates iin tthe ““IRCOBIBiomechanics CCourse aat tthe 22nd YYoungAPSN CConference”Warsaw University of Technology, Warsaw, Poland - 112-114 June 2006
38 - Newsletter EnginSoft English Special Issue 2006
Design oof tthe BBrenner BBase TTunnelwith mmodeFRONTIERThe optimization software applied to civil engineering
The Brenner Base railway tunnelthrough the Alps is one of the greatestconstruction projects of the 21stcentury, with two single track railwaytunnels connecting Fortezza in Italyto Innsbruck in Austria. The tunnelwill have a 72.4 m2 section and be 56km in length as it runs up to 1650metres under the Alps. The two railtunnels will be about 70 metres apartand joined every 333 meters byconnecting galleries. Trains will beable to change tunnels inmultifunctional depots at Prati,Steinach and Innsbruck. These depotswill also house ventilation equipment,technical infrastructure and safety andsignalling systems, as well as twoemergency stations directly linked byseparate access tunnels.
Passing from south to north, thetunnel will be drilled mostly throughgranite, paragneiss, schist, gneiss,marble, schist and phyllite. Aninteresting geological feature of theproject is the crossing of thePeriadriatic Seam, caused by thecollision of the African plate and theEuropean continent.
Cross sectionEach single track tunnel will be drilleda 9.6 meter wide and will also houseall the safety, signalling andtelecommunications equipment. Agravity drainage system will bedesigned in a service tunnel runningbetween the two rail tunnels. A safetyby-pass will be constructed every 333metres along the length of the
structure providing an emergencyescape route as well as equipmentrooms.
Multi-functional depotsTunnel safety is based on theconstruction of multifunctionaldepots sited at not more than 20 kmone from the other. These will featuresafety galleries that, as well asproviding ventilation, will be used forevacuation in the case of anemergency.
Design AnalysisThe investigation to identify all thepossible phenomena associated withexcavating at great depth has calledfor the ample use of analytical models.
Subsequently, the design complexityof such a project has demandedbidimentional FEM modelling in themore critical sections as well as in thedesign of the multifunctional depots.
modeFRONTIER: developments intunnel engineering The Brenner Base railway tunnelpresented its designers with someproblems of notable interest. Themajor unknown in this type of study isthe uncertainty of the data that haveto be used in the models used tosimulate the mechanical behaviour ofthe rock mass at the considerabledepth reached by the tunnel. In such a context the use ofdeterministic approach is not always
Newsletter EnginSoft English Special Issue 2006 - 39
adequate because of the unknownsrelating to the estimation of the fixedparameters of the behaviour models,as well as the uncertainties inherentthe behaviour model itself. Because ofthis, a probabilistic approach is morefruitful in a problem that presentsnumerous uncertainties, such as that
of designing the Brenner tunnel,given the variability of the rockformations, the behaviour of the rockmass and, as already mentioned, theparameters of the behaviour model.
modeFRONTIER is an advanced toolable to support the designer in the
analysis and decision process in thepresence of uncertainty.modeFRONTIER checks the way theresponses in the models whichsimulate the mechanical behaviour ofthe rock mass vary with all their inputparameters, informing the designer ofthe unknowns that have the greatestimpact of the response of the rockmass.
This process is accompanied by a largenumber of graphics that can be easilygenerated by the software and whichassist in the full appreciation of thebehaviour of the mass during boring.The use of modeFrontier in the designof the Brenner tunnel has allowed itsdesigners to follow a decisionalprocess that has led to theoptimization of design choices thanksto the statistical analysis of thevariability of the geologicalparameters and the use of graphicsthat assist the understanding of thephysics of the phenomena beingstudied.
For further information:Ing. Stefano FuocoDesign Manager SWS [email protected]
Traditional excavation vs TBM(L=5600 m)
Traditional excavation vs TBM(Optimal solutions and Pareto frontier)
Problem modelling
