Product category:
Simulation, modelling and validation software
News Release from: LMS International
Edited by the Engineeringtalk Editorial
Team on 23 October 2002
Consortium aims to optimise component
shapes
LMS International has helped form the Elano consortium to create software tools for optimising the shape and topology of components and structures.
LMS International has joined a number of manufacturing companies, software developers and university research institutes to form the Elano consortium to create software tools for optimising the shape and topology of components and structures To design products with lighter weight and lower cost, most engineers are working on how to replace old materials like steel with more lightweight materials, such as aluminium or magnesium
This article was originally published on Engineeringtalk on 19 Mar 2001 at 8.00am (UK)
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In the quest for lightweight materials, the idea of saving weight and cost by trimming unnecessary material from a design is often overlooked.
The Elano group, led by FE-Design, is aiming at improving materials usage by developing software to perform precise shape and topology optimisation based on attribute-specific performance analyses.
The software would draw and combine data from material testing, physical and numerical determination of loads as well as from durability and multibody simulations.
For example, recommendations on the minimal structure and optimum shape of a component will be generated from stress analysis resulting from a full durability test schedule, instead of a single static load case.
Elano members believe that components, which are part of dynamically excited systems, such as crankshafts, can be better optimised in context of a full system and with regard to production methods.
The consortium is therefore targeting optimisation software that includes multibody simulation and manufacturing constraints in the optimisation process.
Existing software from FE-Design and LMS International provided the starting point for developing new software.
FE-Design's Tosca.topology and Tosca.shape as well as LMS Optimus, LMS Falancs, and LMS Dads from LMS International provided the shaping, multibody simulation, and functional performance prototyping constituents.
The first Elano prototypes will be demonstrated at the European LMS Conference, 28th-29th November 2002, in Stuttgart, Germany.
Software tools from the project will become generally available in 2004. Request free introductory details about products from LMS International ...
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