ANSYS
Overview
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HQ Location
United States
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Year Founded
1970
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Company Type
Public
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Revenue
> $10b
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Employees
1,001 - 10,000
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Website
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Twitter Handle
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Company Description
Ansys develops Computer-Aided Engineering software across a range of disciplines including finite element analysis, structural analysis, computational fluid dynamics, explicit and implicit methods, and heat transfer. Also develops a digital twin platform using ANSYS simulation tools that is used by engineers to monitor real-time prescriptive analytics, test Predictive Maintenance to optimize asset performance and provides data to improve the physical product design. The company was founded in 1970. by John A. Swanson as Swanson Analysis Systems, Inc(SASI). In 1994 it was sold to TA Associates, who changed its name to Ansys. The company has been recognized as one of the world's most innovative and fastest -growing companies by prestigious organizations including BusinessWeek and FORTUNE magazines.
IoT Solutions
Engineering Simulation Platform: The ANSYS simulation platform delivers the broadest suite of best-in-class simulation technology and unifies it with your custom applications, CAD software and enterprise business process tools such as PLM. Its open and flexible framework connects engineering teams, tools and data. A common platform facilitates the efficient and reliable sharing of engineering information across an organization, its supply chain and field operations, making your engineering operations more agile.
SpaceClaim: Multipurpose 3D modeling for concept modeling, design, manufacturing, reverse engineering, 3D printing and simulation preparation.
IoT Snapshot
ANSYS is a provider of Industrial IoT analytics and modeling, and functional applications technologies, and also active in the aerospace, automotive, electronics, equipment and machinery, healthcare and hospitals, national security and defense, and renewable energy industries.
Technologies
Use Cases
Functional Areas
Industries
Services
Technology Stack
ANSYS’s Technology Stack maps ANSYS’s participation in the analytics and modeling, and functional applications IoT Technology stack.
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Devices Layer
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Edge Layer
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Cloud Layer
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Application Layer
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Supporting Technologies
Technological Capability:
None
Minor
Moderate
Strong
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Case Studies.
Case Study
Material Intelligence at Ethicon: Sustaining Medical Device Manufacturability and Improving Patient Care
Ethicon, a world-class medical devices company, faced several challenges in its operations. The rapid selection of manufacturing materials compliant in global markets was critical to assure patients, practitioners, and purchasing organizations of the biocompatibility of their medical devices. Ensuring supply chain continuity and minimizing risks of obsolescence for medical devices due to regulatory changes were also crucial in meeting Ethicon’s ongoing commitment to maintaining patient care. Furthermore, the engineers at Ethicon were developing the next generation of medical devices and needed to access historical material data to accelerate new product development. The process of centralizing and digitalizing its materials information was a significant challenge that Ethicon needed to overcome.
Case Study
ELI Beamlines Develops a High-power HAPLS Laser Beam Transport System
ELI Beamlines’ latest advancement is its High-repetition-rate Advanced Petawatt Laser System (HAPLS). HAPLS is the first diode-pumped and highest average power petawatt system (300 W, 10 Hz repetition rate) ever built. HAPLS can achieve focused intensities between 1021-1023 watts per square centimeter, the equivalent of all sunlight as it arrives at the earth being focused to the diameter of a human hair. Achieving the extreme high-power, short-pulse features of HAPLS required rigorous design validation and highly nuanced beam propagation capabilities.
Case Study
Meopta Boosts Productivity with Seamless Ray Tracing
Meopta offers a full range of in-house optics and photonics services. Many of Meopta’s customers are in the fast-moving semiconductor market, where precision is crucial. However, volume is also a key priority, as a feasible mass production means keeping costs low and performance high. For the designs Meopta delivers to these customers, its engineers must find the most efficient methods for optimizing product features without impacting customer profitability.
Case Study
Emhart Glass Enhances Bottle Creation Process with ANSYS SpaceClaim
Emhart Glass Research Center, a leading international supplier of equipment, controls, and parts to the glass container industry, was facing challenges in their bottle creation process. The Center, which focuses on developing enhanced glassforming methods, increasing automation and improving yields, was struggling with the complexities of heat, fluid, and air issues in their modeling process. Senior Mechanical Engineer, Pierre Ngankeu, was tasked with performing multi-physics analysis on design concepts, with a focus on fluid dynamics and heat transfer during the molding process. However, the modeling and pre-processing were time-consuming, often taking days for each simulation. Pierre had to work with foreign CAD data, deal with meshing and density issues, and create the flow domain before analysis. Additionally, there was usually not a lot of data available for many of the processes, adding to the complexity of preparing models for simulation.
Case Study
Ansys + Vitesco Technologies
With the boom in connected vehicles and the increase in the range of models, customers’ needs and requirements have evolved significantly. One example is the desire to integrate lighting systems into door handles. For automakers, light plays an essential role in practicality and comfort, but it also contributes to the visual signature of the vehicle by differentiating brands and making them recognizable.
Case Study
Optimizing Offshore Oil Separation with IoT: A Case Study on Natco Group, Inc.
As the demand for offshore oil field services continues to rise, NATCO Group, Inc. was faced with the challenge of optimizing the performance of its induced gas flotation (IGF) system for customers producing oil on offshore platforms. The IGF system, which uses gas bubbles to trap oil and solids for separation from wastewater, was not as effective in vertical water treatment vessels due to their limited deck space and weight restrictions. These vertical systems often caused uneven distribution of gas bubbles, making the separation process less efficient. Furthermore, traditional physical testing methods to improve the system were costly, time-consuming, and lacked clear insight into why a design was or wasn't working.
Case Study
Improving Disk Drive Performance through Simulation: A Case Study on Hutchinson Technology Inc.
Hutchinson Technology Inc., a global maker of disk drive suspension assemblies, was facing a significant challenge in the precision of motion of the head suspension assembly in hard disk drives. The airflow-induced vibrations were increasing the uncertainty of the position of the slider, which is crucial for data transfer to and from the disk. This issue was particularly critical in high-speed drives where airflow vibrations were strong and reduced the accuracy of the head assembly. Additionally, in high areal-data density drives, the data track spacing was very fine and small suspension vibrations could significantly reduce drive performance. The company's goal was to meet customers’ increasing requirements for speed, capacity, and reliability and to maintain its market position in producing complex suspension assemblies.
Case Study
Astec Industries' Optimization of Hot-Mix Asphalt Equipment with ANSYS ICEM CFD
Astec Industries, a leading manufacturer of hot-mix asphalt plants and soil remediation equipment, faced several challenges in their design and manufacturing process. The company started with CAD models intended solely for manufacturing, which resulted in very complex and imperfect assemblies. They needed to quickly generate parametric studies to determine key design variables, but were constrained by demanding time scales for results. Additionally, there was a vast difference in the scale of detail on most models, further complicating the design and optimization process.
Case Study
Virtual Modeling in Tractor Design: A Case Study of New Holland
Large tractors require complex cooling systems that consist of five separate modules. Each cooling module is dedicated to one of the engine’s five different fluid systems, includes its own heat exchanger, and is additionally cooled by the main engine fan. The primary goal of the tractor is to support itself and the added extra load of any attachments it has, such as a mower or a plow. This necessitates a design effort that focuses on maximizing engine power output and efficiency of the cooling package, while also optimizing the locations of all the components within the engine compartment to provide enough air to both the engine and the cooling system modules. For CNH, this design process often only included an in-depth analysis of the individual components, for example, each of the cooling modules. There was no simple way to include the effect of component layout within the engine compartment and the distribution of airflow to each module over the entire system. The alternative used by CNH, though expensive and time-consuming, was to develop and test several prototypes to balance cooling with space requirements.
Case Study
URS Corporation's Innovative Approach to Dam Structural Analysis Using IoT
URS Corporation, a leading full-service engineering, planning, design, and construction company, was tasked with performing a comprehensive structural stability evaluation of the McKelvey Lake Dam in Mahoning County, Ohio. The dam, a 77-ft.-high concrete arch structure with a crest length of approximately 350 ft., forms a water reservoir with a maximum storage capacity of 4,345 acre-ft. The challenge was to ensure that repeated freeze-thaw cycles had not compromised the dam's integrity for increased flood loads. Traditionally, such an analysis would involve extensive field investigations to collect concrete and foundation rock samples for laboratory testing. However, this process was time-consuming and costly, especially for dams located in remote areas. Furthermore, the creation of numerous computer models and running a wide range of individual simulations to thoroughly analyze all interrelated variables added to the complexity and cost of the project.
Case Study
Optimizing Steel Production with IoT: A Case Study of BlueScope Steel Limited
BlueScope Steel Limited, a division in New Zealand, produces 650,000 tons of steel annually from locally sourced iron sand and coal. A crucial part of this process involves the direct reduction of iron sand by char in four rotary kilns. These kilns, large structures with 65 meter-long revolving cylinders, are used to remove oxygen from iron sand to produce a partially reduced material containing the correct amount of carbon for feeding into downstream melters. However, the company faced challenges in understanding the flow patterns, temperature, and concentration contours inside these kilns. Accretion layers or rings, derived mainly from impurities, occasionally form on the inner face of the kiln shell, limiting the production rate. The company needed a solution to this complex problem involving highly turbulent flows, chemical reactions, heat transfer, and a very large geometry in a reasonable time. They also needed to test a range of operating conditions and geometries efficiently.
Case Study
Navatek Ltd. Enhances Marine Hydrodynamics with ANSYS CFX
Navatek Ltd., a leader in researching, developing, and deploying innovative, advanced ship hull designs and associated technologies, faced a significant challenge in their testing process. The traditional method of scale model testing was proving to be time-consuming, expensive, and unreliable due to scaling effects. The complexity of the physics involved in the processes, including transient, transitionally turbulent, multiphase flow with a free surface, added to the difficulty of obtaining reliable and accurate results. This situation necessitated a more efficient, reliable, and cost-effective solution for testing their ship hull designs.
Case Study
Liebherr-Werk Ehingen GmbH: Enhancing Crane Performance with IoT
Liebherr-Werk Ehingen GmbH, a leading manufacturer of mobile cranes, faced a significant challenge in their quest to maintain their market and technological leadership. The company needed to develop and market new innovative products and components, as well as increase the workloads of the cranes by leveraging all available technological possibilities. This was crucial to stay ahead in a competitive market and meet the evolving needs of their customers. Additionally, they were also tasked with optimizing their methods and processes to decrease design and analysis time. This was necessary to improve efficiency, reduce costs, and speed up the time-to-market of their products.
Case Study
Implementing Real-Time Stress and Life Analysis in Aerospace Industry: A Case Study of Peregrine Consulting, Inc.
Peregrine Consulting, Inc. was tasked by the U.S. Air Force to investigate the feasibility of performing real-time stress and life analysis of jet aircraft engine turbine components based on as-flown conditions. This approach, known as condition-based maintenance (CBM), aimed to provide a reliable prediction of remaining component life for individual aircraft engines by analyzing as-manufactured information and measurable data from each flight. The challenge was to manage a vast amount of information, including the ongoing condition of engine parts, key data on aircraft performance, engine parameters for each flight, and analysis results. The analysis models were extremely large, with millions of degrees-of-freedom requiring lengthy solution times. Furthermore, the simulation involved numerous complex, multi-attribute effects such as frictional contact, stress stiffening, and large deflections of parts.
Case Study
Engineering Simulation for Performance and Noise Reduction in Lawn Mowers: A Case Study of VIKING GmbH
VIKING GmbH, a subsidiary of ANDREAS STIHL AG & Co. KG, is a manufacturer of gardening equipment including lawn mowers. The company is committed to continually improving the performance of its lawn mowers, specifically in terms of mowing performance and noise emission levels. However, the company faced a challenge in understanding the aerodynamics within the deck of the lawnmower. The curved, double-edged blade of the lawnmower induced a highly unsteady airflow, which resulted in vortices that periodically struck the wall of the chute, impacting both the noise emission levels and the catching performance. The fast blade rotation, unsteady pressure, and high fluctuations of the air velocity within the deck created a complex airflow that made traditional development and measurement methods almost impossible. The company needed to find a way to improve the catching performance and simultaneously meet outdoor noise emissions regulations.
Case Study
SilMach: Enhancing MEMS Device Efficiency with ANSYS Multiphysics
SilMach, a young MEMS (Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems) design, simulation, and prototyping R&D company based in Besançon, France, faced a significant challenge in the development of their products. The prototyping of MEMS devices is an expensive process, necessitating accurate simulation before manufacturing to ensure the devices perform as designed. The complexity of these devices requires sophisticated coupled physics analysis tools for accurate prediction of their performance. The challenge was to find a solution that could handle the intricate physics involved in creating sensors and actuators within arrays and predict their performance before committing to manufacture.
Case Study
Audemars Piguet: Reducing Development Time with ANSYS Simulation
Audemars Piguet & Cie, a luxury watch manufacturer, faced a significant challenge in the design and manufacturing of their high-precision watch components, specifically the date display mechanism. This mechanism, which changes the date every 24 hours, needs to advance the date in a way that appears instantaneous to the human eye, usually within 0.015 seconds, and must reveal the correct next date. This is achieved through a complex assembly of a jumper, spring, and trigger cam to rotate the display disk exactly one date step. Traditionally, these fine watch mechanisms were designed using prototyping, a costly and iterative process. While simulation could reduce the need for prototypes, the precise and flexible components within the watch mechanism’s dynamic system required extremely accurate nonlinear dynamics capabilities to characterize correctly.
Case Study
Optimizing Internal Combustion Engine Simulations at University of Wisconsin
The Engine Research Center (ERC) at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, a leading institution in the study and application of internal combustion (IC) engines, faced significant challenges in grid generation for complex IC engine geometries. These complexities included valved intake and exhaust ports and intricate details like piston/liner crevices. The ERC's work involves the application and development of computer models for simulating flow and combustion in IC engines, with each engine model requiring a computational mesh to solve the turbulence, chemistry, and flow equations that define their problems. As government emissions standards become stricter, the need to incorporate more physics into simulations and more geometric details into the grids has increased. The second major challenge was performing grid resolution studies with these geometrically complex grids once they were built.
Case Study
Banco Products India Ltd.: Reducing Physical Prototyping with IoT
Banco Products India Ltd., a leading manufacturer and supplier of equipment such as engine cooling systems and sealing gaskets, faced a significant challenge in the development of their radiators. Radiators, key components in automotive engine cooling systems, must be designed to meet a wide range of conditions due to the diversity of vehicles. The radiator's complex geometry, which includes several thin sheets with thousands of dimples in the radiator core, is required to meet cooling performance and strength requirements. This complexity made simulation difficult. Furthermore, radiator performance is usually determined by the coolant outlet temperature, and Banco designs several types of radiators to meet the cooling requirements of various vehicles. Physically testing each design was not only time-consuming but also costly.
Case Study
Optimizing Yacht Performance with IoT: A Case Study on Team New Zealand
In the competitive world of yachting, particularly in events like the America’s Cup, the smallest changes in geometry can significantly impact the performance of a boat. Team New Zealand (TNZ) was faced with the challenge of optimizing their yacht design without solely relying on physical testing. This was due to the fact that critical flows of air and water, which greatly affect performance, are invisible, making it difficult to understand the reasons behind certain performance levels. Additionally, the traditional yacht design process can be a costly and time-consuming trial-and-error process. Each design iteration often requires the construction of a prototype, which can cost tens of thousands of dollars and take months to build and test. TNZ designers were tasked with analyzing hundreds of potential designs for the most critical components to extract the maximum performance from their previous generation boats.
Case Study
Automating Meshing Process for Rotorcraft Research Group at Carleton University
The Rotorcraft Research Group at Carleton University, which integrates research efforts in rotorcraft aerodynamics, aeroelasticity, aeroacoustics, blade dynamics, and smart structures, faced a significant challenge in their research process. The group's main research program, the SHARCS project, aimed to prove the concept of an actively controlled 'smart' helicopter rotor for the simultaneous reduction of noise and vibration. This required the use of complex CFD simulations that could take weeks of computation time. The solver required a high-quality structured multi-block hexahedral mesh with advanced mesh distribution. However, creating these advanced grids was a difficult and time-consuming task. If each student had to manually create a mesh for each variant being studied, it would significantly limit the research potential and quality. The challenge was to eliminate the manual Hexa meshing burden for the researchers, thereby maximizing their research potential and quality.
Case Study
Engineering Simulation for Durable Spacecraft Components Design: A Case Study of Astrobotic Technology, Inc.
Astrobotic Technology, Inc. faced a significant challenge in designing the structural components of the Tranquility Trek spacecraft. The components comprised of aluminum and lightweight composites, where carbon fiber was bonded to aluminum honeycomb to form a high-strength yet lightweight sandwich material. The layered construction and anisotropic properties of the sandwich required specialized pre-processing tools to accurately represent the fiber direction of every layer of carbon. Additionally, specialized post-processing tools were needed to predict sandwich failure. The company also had to consider random loads during launch. Astrobotic needed to test multiple spacecraft configurations under launch conditions to select and refine the best design in a cost-effective manner.
Case Study
Revolutionizing Automotive Design and Analysis: A Case Study of RAETECH Corporation
RAETECH Corporation, a company specializing in automotive design and analysis with a focus on the Motorsports arena, was involved in projects from the design and analysis phase through prototype and testing of the finished product. Their experience involves almost every type of automotive component and system. Their structural analysis routine generally includes linear, nonlinear and fatigue analyses, and they also utilize Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) where appropriate, especially in engine component designs and A to B comparisons. They firmly believe in closely coupling the design and analysis phases, followed by properly validating the real physical parts. However, they faced challenges in bringing data through the CATIA V4 importer or the Solidworks plug-in, and in creating both solid and surface meshes using Tetra.
Case Study
Robopac: Enhancing Productivity and Reducing Costs with IoT
Robopac, a leading designer and manufacturer of stretch wrapping machines, was facing a significant challenge with its existing product, Rotowrap. The product was constructed as a metal box with numerous welding seams, which posed potential reliability issues during the rotation of the wrapping arm. The complex design of the Rotowrap was also more costly than competitors’ products. The company was under pressure to develop a new product that was of higher quality, performance, and reliability, but at a lower cost. The challenge was not only to innovate but also to ensure that the new product was more durable and less costly than the existing one to maintain competitiveness in the industry.
Case Study
Bioana: Leveraging Computer Simulations for Efficient Medical Device Development
Bioana, a company dedicated to the design and development of medical technology, faced significant challenges in the biomedical engineering field. Before a medical device could be implanted in a patient, extensive testing had to be conducted to determine its lifespan, the optimal material for fabrication, and the stresses it must withstand. For instance, prostheses had to be designed to endure the loads generated by body motion and weight, without failing or significant deformation. Similarly, vascular stents needed to supply optimal blood volumes with predetermined flow rates. Evaluating the performance of these and many other medical devices was crucial, and simulation was a key tool in this process. However, the traditional methods of testing were time-consuming and costly.
Case Study
Optimizing Hydropower Plant Location with IoT: A Case Study of Kawa Engineering Ltd.
Kawa Engineering Ltd. was faced with the challenge of locating a powerhouse close to a waterfall for a client in an area with minimal flood risk. The stakes were high as any occurrence of flooding in the powerhouse would result in significant costs. The ideal location would not only mitigate the risk of flooding but also reduce the need for additional components to protect electrical equipment such as generators, turbines, and switch boxes. Furthermore, the right location would determine the cut and fill required for construction, thereby conserving construction resources.
Case Study
Leading Motorsport Team Leverages IoT for Efficient Racecar Design
Team Penske, a leading name in American motorsports, faced a significant challenge when they decided to enter the Indy Racing League (IRL) on a full-time basis. The IRL has stringent rules that govern the construction of cars competing in the league. The design team, led by Technical Director Nigel Beresford, had to work within very tight body-design criteria and were limited in what they could change. Major alterations were impossible as competing cars had to use chassis from one of three manufacturers and the same gearbox. Adding to the complexity was the time factor. There was only a five-month window between seasons, and the car had to arrive at the first race tested and ready to win. The design changes were also very restricted during the off-season, and the cars had to be ready by January for testing. The team had no time for back-up plans or mistakes and had to get the design right the first time to give the team optimum performance.
Case Study
Simulation Leads to Developing Faster Tire Balancing Machines
Hennessy Industries, an international aftermarket wheel service manufacturer, was faced with the challenge of designing a frame for a tire-balancing machine that could balance automobile wheels in a shorter time. The new design was required to be approximately the same size, shape, and weight as the old machine. The R&D team needed to attenuate the noise generated by the frame during the start of the balance cycle so that the machine’s sensors could determine whether any imbalance existed. To achieve this, Hennessy Industries partnered with QuEST Global, a company that provides a wide range of engineering solutions.
Case Study
Enhancing Wood Heat Treatment Processes: A Case Study of U.S.D.A. Forest Products Laboratory
The U.S.D.A. Forest Products Laboratory, a leading wood research institute, was facing challenges in accurately determining the thermal conductivity of wood, a critical factor in the wood drying process. The conventional equations used for this purpose, developed over 50 years ago, only provided a rough guideline for certain types of wood. This led to lumber mills and wood processing companies having to perform costly and time-consuming trial-and-error tests to determine the proper temperatures and drying times, often resulting in high scrap rates. The heat transfer coefficients of wood depend on many variables including ring density, tree age, initial moisture content, and cell orientation. These characteristics are usually not uniform across all sections of the same tree, with wood structure affected by seasonal weather differences. Furthermore, ring density in small versus large-diameter trees varies widely depending on growth rates for different conditions such as surrounding vegetation and climate.
Case Study
ANSYS DesignSpace Aids Motoman in Enhancing Robotics Efficiency
Motoman, a leading robotics company, faced the challenge of designing a new system, the MotoSweep O, which would mount a 6-axis robot on a boom and riser system. The system was intended to service multiple vertical and/or horizontal machines from overhead in a linear, rotary, or facing configuration. The rotating arm of the system was designed to reach all machines simultaneously, thereby freeing up significant floor space. The existing servo gallows system, used for overhead arc welding, was to be replaced with a system that could also handle material handling. The new system was intended to reduce the boom's mass, increase the overall payload, and allow a robot larger than the existing maximum of 280kg to be mounted on the boom. The team also aimed to solve the problem of backlash in the main drive assembly of the boom, which caused the boom to shake when the robot reached its program point, increasing the robot’s settling time and the MotoSweep O’s cycle time.
Case Study
AcoustiFLO: Enhancing Efficiency and Reducing Costs with IoT
The commercial fan market has been shifting from large custom-designed fan systems to more standardized factory-manufactured units. In response to this trend, AcoustiFLO aimed to develop an efficient small centrifugal fan that could be marketed as a standardized, modular component suitable for packaged air handlers. The concept for this small fan consisted of a centrifugal impeller housed in a vaneless diffuser. However, optimizing the static pressure efficiency of the unit required simultaneous optimization of both the impeller and the diffuser due to their interaction. The engineers at AcoustiFLO found that physical testing was not only cost prohibitive but also failed to provide the necessary insight into the airflow for design improvement. The less powerful CFD software they had been using for simpler design tasks lacked the power to analyze the turbulence and rotational dynamics in the impeller.
Case Study
Robo-Technology GmbH: Automation of Ultrasonic Testing System for Helicopter Parts
Robo-Technology GmbH, a company that specializes in the planning, development, design, manufacturing, and programming of automatic robotic systems, faced a significant challenge. They were tasked with developing an ultrasonic testing system for helicopter parts, which could be up to 6 meters in length. The system required two synchronized 6-axis robots to carry out fast testing movements with high dynamic precision and synchronization. This demanded the highest construction standards, posing a significant challenge for the company. The complexity of the task was further compounded by the need to ensure the rigidity and vibration behavior of the system met the customer's demands.
Case Study
Trek Bicycle Company Leverages IoT for Enhanced Product Development
Trek Bicycle Company, a global leader in bicycle design, manufacturing, and distribution, faced a significant challenge in maintaining its competitive edge in the industry. The company's success hinged on its ability to release innovative products that met stringent strength and stiffness requirements, all while adhering to critical product launch deadlines. A specific challenge was to expedite the market release of a cycle with an assembly composed of an aluminum steer tube bonded with epoxy adhesive into a composite fork that is bolted to the wheel axle. The complexity of the assembly and the need for precision in design and manufacturing posed a significant hurdle in meeting the desired speed to market.
Case Study
Mohyi Labs' Bladeless Drone Development Revolutionized by ANSYS Simulation Tools
Mohyi Labs, a pioneering company in the field of drone technology, faced significant challenges in the development of their Bladeless Drone. The company was working on a novel Ducted Counter-Vortex Radial Impeller Propulsion technology, but the design optimization process was proving to be a major hurdle. Prior to the involvement of ANSYS, the process required a considerable degree of detective work, relying heavily on indirect methods to deduce the characteristics of the invisible forces at work. While this approach was successful in the early stages, it was time-consuming, significantly increased the difficulty level, and escalated development costs. Mohyi Labs recognized the need for advanced physics simulations to achieve the level of precision engineering required for their project. However, these advanced simulations were, until recently, exclusive to large corporations, academic, and military users.
Case Study
Efficiency Improvement in Engine Design Analysis at Ford Motor Company with ANSYS Meshing Solution
The Engine NVH Analysis Section at Ford Motor Company is tasked with providing CAE NVH design analysis support to various programs. The types of analysis performed include engine component and assembly modal & vibrational response analysis, engine component and assembly radiated noise analysis, crank/block dynamic interaction analysis, air intake system NVH analysis, and exhaust manifold radiated noise analysis. However, with program timing being regularly compressed, the demand for quick turnaround on design analysis is constantly growing. As the finite element models become larger, they tend to drive the analysis time longer. This creates a need for quick FE models that accurately represent the structures, with the smallest number of degrees of freedom being an absolute necessity. The parts that need to be meshed can range from simple stampings to complex castings of cylinder heads, blocks, and manifolds, to even more complex multi-piece composite intake manifolds.
Case Study
EADS Innovation Works: Leveraging IoT for Aerospace and Defense
EADS Innovation Works, a leading global aerospace and defense company, was faced with the challenge of reducing the weight of aircraft parts to achieve cost savings and meet green transportation goals. The load introduction rib (LIR), a critical part of an aircraft’s wing flap, was a particular focus. The aerodynamic loads are transferred through the LIR onto the wing, and engineers needed to analyze the wing flap under conditions of a jammed flap mechanism. This load scenario traditionally required a detailed model of the flap mechanism. To evaluate the failure criteria of a composite LIR, engineers at EADS Innovation Works used an ANSYS Composite PrepPost model and a shell model, and compared the accuracy and workflow efficiency with a traditional solid model.
Case Study
FMC Technologies: Evaluating Cumulative Damage in Subsea Oil and Gas Equipment with ANSYS Mechanical and Scripting
FMC Technologies India Pvt. Ltd. was faced with the challenge of designing subsea oil and gas equipment that could withstand high pressure and high temperature domains. The equipment had to be qualified per ASME BPVC VIII, Division 3, which requires the cumulative damage on the equipment to be below 1. The increasing depth of oil extraction meant that the structural loading requirements for subsea components were increasing, but there were also space and weight constraints on these components. To reduce over-engineering and promote value engineering, engineers needed to visualize damage distribution in each component. However, ANSYS Structural, the technology they were using, did not have a method to plot damage. The challenge was to develop a customized method using ANSYS’ scripting capabilities.
Case Study
Turbomeca Streamlines Helicopter Engine Control Software Development with SCADE Suite
Turbomeca, a leading producer of helicopter engines, was facing challenges in developing the embedded software that runs the control system for each engine family. The model-based design approach they adopted used simulation tools for rapid prototyping, software testing, and verification. However, this approach required time-consuming manual coding, which could potentially introduce coding errors and inconsistencies between the code and the model. To keep pace with new innovations in helicopter technology and to remain compliant with DO-178B/C standards, Turbomeca needed tools that would help them code more efficiently, reduce errors, and improve code management.
Case Study
Energomash's Power Generation Enhancement with ANSYS ICEM CFD Hexa
Energomash Group Enterprises, one of the largest manufacturers of power equipment in Russia, faced a significant challenge in their operations. The company, which is engaged in developing and manufacturing equipment for various types of power stations and pumps, as well as operating their own gas turbine plant and developing electric and thermal energy, needed to improve their mesh generation process. The requirements for this process included the construction of qualitative mesh structures that could be adapted for the specificity of the investigated process, integration with the CAD system, and a reduction in the time required for mesh structure construction for typical problems.
Case Study
Optimizing Orthopedic Implants with IoT: A Case Study of DePuy Spine, Inc.
DePuy Spine Inc., a leading supplier of orthopedic spinal implants, has been striving to improve the behavior of total disc replacement implants, particularly the CHARITÉ artificial disc. This three-piece articulating device is designed to eliminate pain and maintain motion of the operative segment, offering an alternative to spinal fusion surgery. However, understanding the effect of implant placement within the disc space on the loading of the facets, known to generate pain when supraphysiologically loaded, posed a significant challenge. Traditional studies involving cadaveric testing with strain gauges and pressure sensors were time-consuming, expensive, and often inconclusive. The company needed a more efficient and accurate method to understand and optimize the performance of the CHARITÉ artificial disc.
Case Study
KTM Technologies Leverages ANSYS for Super Sports Car Development
KTM Technologies was tasked with the development of the KTM X-Bow, a unique super sports car featuring a monocoque made from carbon composites materials. The monocoque, the external skin of the vehicle, provides structural support, marking it as the world's first production car with such a feature. The challenge lay in the use of carbon composites, which, while ideal for their lightweight and high strength properties, presented engineering complexities. The process of engineering composites designs from concept to simulation and manufacturing included countless opportunities for engineers to choose materials, fiber orientation, manufacturing methods, and layup arrangements. The KTM X-Bow monocoque was to be manufactured using over 300 pre-cut composite plies, adding to the complexity of the task. The challenge was to address these complexities in composites engineering to develop one of the world's most exciting and modern sports cars.
Case Study
TibaRay, Inc.: Revolutionizing Radiation Therapy with IoT
TibaRay, Inc. is a startup aiming to design the next generation of radiation therapy (RT) systems for cancer treatment. The existing RT systems face significant challenges, including collateral damage to normal organs, the need for better accuracy/focusing, motion control, and cost and accessibility issues, particularly in the developing world. TibaRay's proposed product, PHASER, is designed to address these challenges. However, the design of PHASER would not be possible without detailed and accurate engineering simulations. One of the specific challenges in existing RT systems is patient motion, which limits treatment accuracy. Although motion management is implemented in existing RT systems to some extent, PHASER aims to deliver the treatment dose so fast that the effects of motion are essentially eliminated. To achieve this, the design of novel RF components is necessary, requiring electromagnetic and thermal simulations.
Case Study
AMOG Consulting: Streamlining Engineering Processes with IoT
AMOG Consulting, a specialist service provider to various sectors including marine construction, government organizations, and offshore oil and gas, was facing several challenges. The company needed to accelerate the simulation-to-design process in a high-technology multidisciplinary engineering environment. They aimed to improve quality by utilizing one 3-D CAD model for all engineering disciplines. The company also wanted to provide clients with more robust and advanced designs within their budgets. Another challenge was to create a bridge between CAD hydrodynamic, fluid dynamic, and structural simulations. The need for a streamlined process was evident to meet industry demands for a more robust and optimized product.
Case Study
Enhancing Safety in Underground Infrastructure with IoT: A Case Study on Hatch Mott MacDonald
Hatch Mott MacDonald (HMM), a leading North American consulting engineering firm, specializes in the design of underground ventilation systems. One of their key areas of expertise is the prediction of fire and smoke movement in these systems. The challenge they faced was the comprehensive modeling and design analyses for existing tunnels and transportation facilities from a fire/life safety and ventilation perspective. The objectives were to provide good environmental conditions for users during normal operation and safe conditions for evacuation in emergency modes. Fire and smoke modeling required a consideration of turbulent, buoyant, chemically reacting flows and a need to assess tenability conditions, based on visibility, temperature, and toxicity. However, physical measurements in such large structures rarely led to an understanding of the subtle thermal mechanisms that control the environment.
Case Study
CFX Simulation Enhances Ventilation System at Grand Central Terminal
The Grand Central Terminal (GCT), a principal hub of the MTA Metro-North Railroad, faced a significant challenge in ventilating its trainshed, one of the largest underground structures in Manhattan. The trainshed, which occupies 2.5 million square feet, was designed long before the advent of air conditioning, and the widespread use of air-conditioned equipment added waste heat into the facility. The existing ventilation, provided by sidewalk grilles and a few small vent shafts, was insufficient for the large area of the trainshed. During summer months, ground level temperatures were typically 15 degrees Fahrenheit above ambient. Previous attempts to improve ventilation had been costly and ineffective. Hatch Mott McDonald (HMM), a full-service engineering firm, was contracted to conduct a preliminary study using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to understand the current ventilation conditions and the impact of changes made in recent years.
Case Study
Efficient CAD Designing with ANSYS SpaceClaim: A Billet Designs Case Study
Steven Aguirre, the owner of Billet Designs, a small engineering firm, was faced with the challenge of balancing various aspects of his business, including product design, marketing, order fulfillment, sales, manufacturing, and general product line development. His primary task was to design a CO2 dispenser for a beverage growler, with the aim of creating an optimal product while efficiently utilizing limited resources within a typically short product development cycle. A few years ago, Aguirre had shifted his business model to outsource assembly, order fulfillment, and inventory management, allowing him to focus on product design. He had experience with popular 2-D and 3-D CAD tools, but he needed a more efficient way to create 3-D models and make changes quickly. The tools he had tried were either too cumbersome or inadequate, making speed and efficiency a significant challenge.
Case Study
Optimizing Locomotive Design with IoT: A Case Study of Electro-Motive Diesel
Electro-Motive Diesel (EMD), the world’s largest supplier of diesel-electric locomotives, was under pressure to develop the SD70ACe locomotive that meets high standards of performance, reliability, fuel economy, crashworthiness, and operator comfort. The locomotives are expected to operate economically and safely for decades under harsh conditions with minimal downtime. Durability of components undergoing repeated fatigue cycles was a major concern, as most units log more than 1 million miles during the first six years of operation and have a useful life of nearly 30 years, with some major components lasting more than 50 years. Achieving these goals while shortening the development cycle was particularly challenging due to significant time and cost factors associated with running physical tests on such large, complex machines.
Case Study
Implementing ANSYS FSI Solution for Advanced Cardiology Research at Colorado Health Science Center
The University of Colorado Health Science Center's cardiology research engineers were seeking to gain a deeper understanding of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), a condition characterized by persistently high pressure in the vessels that transport oxygen-poor blood from the heart's right ventricle to the small arteries in the lungs. Over time, the increased load due to PAH can lead to premature heart failure and death. The current clinical methods for diagnosing and evaluating PAH are invasive and only consider the mean flow rate and pressure drop across the vasculature. The challenge was to simulate transient hemodynamics and arterial motion, which required a solution for the coupled solid and fluid domains. The geometry definition was derived from medical imaging, and the constitutive modeling of the vasculature was complex due to hyperelastic materials and complex constraint relationships. Additionally, the fluid boundary conditions could not be simply characterized.
Case Study
Megayacht Builder Leverages Simulation Software for Enhanced Design Flexibility
Delta Marine Industries Inc., a leading megayacht builder, faced a significant challenge in meeting the high customization demands of their clients. The company's clientele, purchasers of 100-foot plus megayachts, expected the ability to highly customize the interior design of their yachts. This demand for customization, particularly the freedom to place walls or partitions wherever desired, created structural design challenges by increasing the complexity of the load paths. The non-alignment of pillars made it difficult to determine how loads would distribute across various structural elements. Traditional design methods were inadequate due to the highly nonlinear and difficult to discretize load paths. Furthermore, Delta Marine was tasked with building a megayacht that not only had a luxurious interior and high cruising speed but also optimized weight and structural elements for strength and vibration resistance.
Case Study
Murray Inc. Accelerates Product Development with IoT Solution
Murray Inc., a global manufacturer of outdoor power equipment, was faced with a significant challenge. The company had a narrow window of opportunity to get its new product, the Power 2 Steer snowthrower, into production before losing business from one of its strategic snowthrower retailers. The Power 2 Steer featured a unique steering system that required a new clutch assembly, the effects of which on stress and deflection levels needed to be evaluated for various components and subsystems throughout the snowthrower. This included the drive shafts, bearings, subframe, and the sheetmetal main chassis. Designing these components for the necessary strength was critical to ensure adequate fatigue life of components without adding prohibitive cost and material. The tight product development schedule left no room for numerous physical prototype test cycles.
Case Study
Seismic Qualification of Industrial PC Rack through Simulation
Hi-Tech Outsourcing Services, a leading architectural engineering construction (AEC) and industrial services provider in India, faced a challenge in the design of computer storage racks. These racks, used to mount servers or desktops, must provide structural support for computers and comply with Bellcore testing standards, the most common set of safety, spatial, and environmental design guidelines applied to telecommunications equipment. The challenge was to ensure compliance with these standards while also meeting the increasing demand for quick turnaround during product development. The company needed to develop products using fewer prototype tests to deliver a faster time to market, all while ensuring the racks could withstand seismic tests.
Case Study
ANSYS DesignSpace Assists Champion Elevators in Achieving New Standards
Champion Elevators Inc., a Texas-based leader in the design and installation of rack-and-pinion driven elevators, faced the challenge of redesigning cost-effective, yet safe elevators that conform to the stringent building and electrical codes of the high-rise construction industry. The company had to ensure that their elevators met two different sets of standards - regulatory building and electrical codes, and safety standards that are essentially physical properties. After almost three decades in the business, Champion Elevators knew that conformance to building codes was a must. Given the obvious risks, engineers at Champion ran every job through analysis. Assuring safety and conformance to the codes and regulations fell into two very different types of engineering analyses. Safety assurances of the elevator — essentially measuring maximum stresses and ensuring adequate safety margins — was handled with ANSYS DesignSpace® software for finite element modeling and finite element analysis (FEM/FEA) from ANSYS Inc.
Case Study
Optimizing Component Weight in Automotive Industry: A Case Study of Dana Corporation
Dana Corporation, a leading supplier of parts and assemblies to the automotive industry, faced a significant challenge in designing suspension systems and other assemblies for heavy trucks. The task was formidable due to the heavy loads, harsh environments, and long life requirements of these components. Historically, these components were over-designed and heavier to meet reliability requirements. However, in the current economy, the weight of commercial trucks and its impact on vehicle cost, ride, and fuel economy became a significant concern for both truck manufacturers and end users. The challenge was to design these parts with minimal material yet still maintain adequate strength and stiffness. This had to be achieved while meeting tight budgets and product launch schedules that ruled out building and testing numerous hardware prototypes.
Case Study
Creating Empowered Pedestrians: The Case of Segway and ANSYS Multiphysics
Segway LLC, the company behind the innovative Segway Human Transporter (HT), faced significant engineering challenges in the development of their product. The Segway HT, a two-wheeled, self-propelled scooter, was designed to revolutionize personal transportation. However, the device's compact design required the integration of numerous hardware and software components into a small space. This complexity presented significant challenges for the Mechanical Integrity group at Segway, who were tasked with ensuring that the device's features and functionality conformed to specified performance criteria. The group faced particular difficulties with the Segway HT's chassis, which had to accommodate the weight of an operator up to 250 pounds, house the device's motors, batteries, and electronic components, and be lightweight. The complex geometric configurations of the design made standard mechanical analysis techniques ineffective or extremely difficult to conduct.
Case Study
Wireless Charging Design for Wearable Electronics: A Case Study
RF2ANTENNA, a company specializing in wireless communications and charging, faced a challenge in designing a customized wireless charging system for wearable electronics. The traditional approach of experimental design was deemed time-consuming and costly as it required building different size coils and creating a measurement setup. The specific needs of wearable devices necessitated a custom design, which called for engineering simulations for a reasonably short, cost-effective design cycle. The challenge was to find a simulation software that could integrate a circuit solver with the electromagnetic solvers, to optimize the coil design process.
Case Study
Optimizing Transition Tonnage in Continuous Casting Process with IoT
The continuous casting of steel, particularly when casting different grades in the same sequence, produces transition billets. These billets do not conform to any specific grade and thus need to be downgraded or diverted. The challenge lies in identifying the extent and location of this intermixed zone to minimize production and quality issues. The process of billet casting to convert liquid steel to solid billets is fraught with uncertainties and variables. For instance, the casting speed may change or certain strands may become non-functional, altering the flow in the tundish and changing the transition tonnage. Predicting and optimizing the transition tonnage during the grade change under different plant scenarios is a significant challenge. To better understand and manage this process, a CFD model was developed.
Case Study
Leveraging Fluid Structure Interaction for Water Quality Monitor Float Design
Grantec Engineering Consultants Inc. was tasked with the development of a water quality monitoring float designed to carry a sensor for capturing environmental data. The engineering team faced challenges in minimizing drag and ensuring stability of the float, as well as developing specifications for the mooring system and structure. The original design of the float had a bow that would have been driven below water, primarily due to a moment generated by current loading on the sensor. This posed a significant problem as it would affect the float's performance and the accuracy of the data collected by the sensor.
Case Study
Plantool Oy: Enhancing Production Automation with ANSYS DesignSpace Simulation Software
Plantool Oy, a leading production automation company in the Nordic countries, faced significant challenges in its operations. The company specializes in tailor-made special machines, standard circular saws, system solutions, and production lines for metal industries. However, the custom nature of their machines did not allow for prototypes. Each new order posed a major risk as the initial creation had to be the final product, necessitating perfect design from the outset. Additionally, these special machines often had to be designed from scratch, requiring a flexible design and simulation process. The use of existing 3D models for simulation was crucial, but the company lacked an efficient system to facilitate this.
Case Study
Improving Fuel Cell Reliability: A Case Study of Ballard Power Systems Inc.
Ballard Power Systems Inc., a Canadian company that designs, develops, and manufactures zero-emission PEM fuel cell stacks, faced a significant challenge with their MK9 series of cell voltage monitoring (CVM) systems. These systems, used in automotive fuel cell stacks, monitor the voltages produced by cells during operation. However, the company was experiencing CVM chip solder joint failures, which could prompt a false failure signal to the vehicle control unit, potentially shutting down the operation of the fuel cell and even the entire fuel cell engine. This issue was directly impacting the reliability of the entire fuel cell stack. The thermal expansion of the PCB and potting material, which protects the CVM from the environment, was causing deflections that resulted in stress on the solder joints. The company needed to gain insight into the structural load on electronic components during thermal cycling, identify probable areas where excessive stress could cause early CVM chip failure, and identify a potting material that would not exert thermal expansion stress on the CVM components.
Case Study
Solar Artifacts Withstand Wind Gusts: A CSIR-CMERI Case Study
India's growing population has led to an increased demand for power. To meet this demand, the country is looking towards renewable energy sources. CSIR-Central Mechanical Engineering Research Institute (CSIR-CMERI) has developed aesthetically pleasing solar cells, known as 'solar artifacts', in the form of umbrellas or trees. These solar artifacts can be placed in commercial or public spaces, providing power while maintaining the space underneath for productive or recreational uses. However, these solar artifacts needed to be designed to fit into the available space and withstand a range of wind speeds depending on their location. The challenge was to ensure that these artifacts would be strong enough to resist damage over a range of wind speeds without sacrificing their aesthetic design.
Case Study
Archus Orthopedics: Accelerating Spinal Implant Development with IoT
Archus Orthopedics, a biomedical company, was faced with the challenge of predicting the nonlinear motion of the spine when fitted with an implant. This is a crucial aspect in the development of their Total Facet Arthroplasty System™ (TFAS®), a patented spinal implant designed to treat spinal stenosis. The traditional method of determining this motion was through cadaveric testing, a process that was not only time-consuming but also ineffective for performing design iterations on new motion-restoring spinal implant designs. The company needed a more efficient and accurate method to simulate the quality of motion of the natural spine and predict the nonlinear motion of the spine with an implant.
Case Study
Utilizing Computational Flow Modeling for Enhanced Combined Sewer Overflow System Design
Cities in the northeastern U.S. were exploring the installation of new combined sewer overflow (CSO) treatment units using an advanced hydrodynamic vortex separator (HDVS) with a self-cleansing screen, such as that produced by Hydro International. Traditionally, HDVSs have been used as high-rate solid–liquid separators; only recently has their potential use as contact chambers for high-rate disinfection of CSOs been realized. Conventional disinfection of CSOs, using mixed basins, requires contact times of around 15 minutes. However, a report demonstrated that these systems provide effective high-rate disinfection at contact times of only three minutes. While the shorter contact times could save up to 50 percent of overall project costs for municipalities, regulators still expected to see longer contact times based on performance requirements of older systems. The challenge for Hydro International was to understand the basis for the shorter contact times and validate that high-rate disinfection is an acceptable alternative to longer conventional disinfection methods.
Case Study
IoT in Defence Education: A Case Study of Cranfield University
Cranfield University at the Defence College of Management and Technology (DCMT) within the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom, formerly known as the Royal Military College of Science (RMCS), is tasked with educating the armed forces in defence related technology. A significant part of this education involves the study and understanding of weapons effects. This is a complex field that involves highly dynamic phenomena, requiring both theoretical and practical understanding. Numerical simulations are used to provide insight into these phenomena, complementing experimental studies and demonstrations. However, the challenge lies in enhancing student understanding of numerical analysis techniques and applying these techniques to a range of applications.
Case Study
Culligan's Innovative Water Softener: A Balance of Hydrodynamic Performance and Structural Integrity
Culligan Matrix Solutions, a leader in water treatment, faced a significant challenge in developing a new water softener. The company aimed to create a device that used less salt than any other product on the market, minimized water pressure losses, and utilized the least amount of material possible. This ambitious project required a delicate balance between hydrodynamic performance and structural integrity. The R&D team needed to employ both fluid dynamics and structural mechanics simulations to achieve these goals. The challenge was not only to meet these stringent requirements but also to do so in a cost-effective and time-efficient manner.
Case Study
Optimizing Wastewater Treatment with IoT: A Case Study of Vaughan Co.
Vaughan Co., a leading manufacturer of chopper pumps, faced a significant challenge in developing process mixing installations for wastewater treatment. The goal was to minimize 'dead zones' in the tank where solids could collect, as these solids decrease active volume and reduce process capacity. However, on-site process optimization was impractical due to the unique nature of each installation. Additionally, model testing for each installation was not only expensive but also offered limited information and could be unreliable due to scale-up issues. The company also faced difficulties in achieving convergence in numerical simulation of tank flows using conventional CFD solvers, due to the nature of the flow, which included large variation in length scales and low velocity.
Case Study
Weight Reduction in Luxury Super Yacht Using ANSYS Composites Capabilities
The designers of a luxury super yacht were faced with a significant challenge when the initial design of the vessel was approximately 300 tons above the desired weight. The high-quality super yachts are engineered to perfection, ensuring extraordinary handling in difficult sea conditions while combining maximum power with reduced emissions. To achieve this exceptional performance, the use of lightweight and high-strength materials like carbon composites is often necessary. The designers sought the expertise of ar engineers to find ways to reduce the weight of the yacht. The engineering team was tasked with investigating the use of carbon composites materials for several access doors used by the yacht crew and service members. They used ANSYS Composite PrepPost to determine the feasibility and to optimize the composites design.
Case Study
3Discovered Leverages SpaceClaim for Efficient 3D Printing
3Discovered, an exchange platform for commercial-grade 3D printed parts and products, was facing a challenge in finding a 3D modeling software package that fit their startup budget. They needed a solution that could quickly turn around designs for printing and handle models in a variety of formats or design them based on 3D scans. The company was also dealing with the issue of reverse engineering, as they often received work from design owners and customers that required this process before they could work with a 3D print house. The existing software solutions they had tried, such as Inventor or SolidWorks, were not designed to handle the large number of facets involved in reverse engineering and would often crash.
Case Study
Mirage Machines Enhances Simulation Capability with ANSYS
Mirage Machines, a manufacturer of portable machines for various industries, was facing a challenge in their design process. They were using detailed structural simulation at the front end of the design process to ensure the robustness and risk-free nature of their solutions. However, the Finite Element Analysis (FEA) simulation they were using, SolidWorks® Professional and Premium packages, had limitations. These packages only allowed Mirage to conduct FEA on single parts and small assembly models. A recent project required the development of a gantry that used a series of magnets to attach steel rails. The initial design was to be base metal, but the requirement changed to include a layer of paint. This change introduced an air gap, reducing the magnets' pull force by 40 percent. Mirage needed to understand the impact of the paint thickness on the pull force of the magnets and the integrity of the structure as the arms moved along the base rail.
Case Study
Revamping Highway Safety Systems with IoT: A Case Study on Energy Absorption Systems, Inc.
Energy Absorption Systems, Inc., a global leader in the design and manufacture of crash cushions, impact attenuators, and other energy-absorbing safety devices, faced a challenge with their TMA-180 truck-mounted attenuator. This device, consisting of a hinged steel frame containing energy-absorbing air-filled aluminum baffles, extends from the back of parked construction vehicles to protect people and equipment in highway work zones from vehicle traffic impacts. The company found a more reliable and economical supplier for the hydraulic cylinder that powers the rotation of the frame. However, the differences in cylinder geometry and loading necessitated a redesign of the clevis linkage connecting the cylinder to the frame. The challenge was to execute this redesign as quickly and reliably as possible to reduce the time to market for the improved product.
Case Study
Simulation Drives Thermal Performance Standards for Metal Building Insulation Systems
The Metal Building Insulation (MBI) industry was facing a challenge in revising insulation performance standards. Owens Corning, a leading member of the MBI industry, recognized the need for developing thermal performance factors for MBI assemblies. The task involved numerical modeling of three-dimensional flow and heat transfer problems in insulation assemblies used in the metal building industry. The geometries of these assemblies were complex, including several materials with different thermal conductivities and narrow pockets of air where natural convective currents could potentially form. Even slight variations in the overall heat transfer rates could have a significant impact in the long run. Therefore, the roof-insulation fastening mechanisms had to be carefully designed for optimal performance.
Case Study
Designing a Safer Environmental Control System for Marine Corps' Amphibious Vehicle Using IoT
The United States Marine Corps was set to roll out a new Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle (EFV) by the end of the decade. This hybrid tank/boat was designed to carry 20 personnel over both land and sea at speeds of up to 30 miles an hour. However, the EFV contained an environmental control system (ECS) that was not up to the mark. The ECS, essentially a high-performance air conditioner, was supposed to keep the cabin air at a comfortable temperature even when outside temperatures were as high as 125º Fahrenheit, while operating quietly enough to pose no risk to the crew’s hearing. The initial prototype failed to meet these standards, leading to a re-bid process. Fairchild Controls Corporation won the re-bid and was tasked with improving the ECS unit’s airflow and minimizing operational noise, all within a strict budget and a tight deadline of 14 months.
Case Study
Comatec Oy Enhances Product Design and Optimization with ANSYS Engineering Simulation Software
Comatec Oy, a company providing engineering services for the industrial machinery sector, was facing several challenges in their product design and optimization process. They were dealing with complex projects from customers that presented complicated boundary conditions, loadings, and nonlinearities. The company was struggling to efficiently import 3-D models from various CAD applications into simulation tools. They also had to handle large assemblies with many configurations, which was a complex task. Evaluating stress, vibration, and fatigue for mechanical and thermal loadings was another challenge they faced. Additionally, they needed to quickly obtain and report results to customers, which was proving to be time-consuming and inefficient.
Case Study
Structural Analysis Predicts Vibration for Pumping Platforms: A Case Study on Mechanical Solutions, Inc.
In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, one of the deadliest hurricanes in the United States, Mechanical Solutions, Inc. (MSI) was subcontracted to increase the capacity of a pumping station in flood-prone New Orleans. The challenge was to evaluate the vibration responses of the platform during the operation of high-power mechanical equipment. During major weather events, these high-power pumping units must work at full capacity to drain excess water out of sub-sea-level areas. The heavy equipment produces vibrations and other stresses that can cause the massive platforms supporting the equipment to fail. MSI engineers faced numerous challenges in assessing and addressing design problems of the partially submerged pumping station platforms. All design issues had to be identified and addressed before any construction began, and the project needed to be completed prior to the onset of the next hurricane season.
Case Study
Optimizing Power Generation with ANSYS Emag at Kato Engineering
Kato Engineering, a company that designs and manufactures a complete line of precision-engineered, high-quality AC generators, motor-generator sets, and controls for prime, standby, and peak-shaving power generation, faced a significant challenge. The subtransient reactance of an electrical generator, which is the generator internal impedance element that is effective during the first few cycles of a transient load event, was difficult to predict. This reactance is typically determined through factory testing of new generator designs after the design process is finished. This method was not only time-consuming but also inefficient as it delayed the identification of potential issues until after the design process was completed.
Case Study
Structural Stress Simulation of a 5,200 Cubic Foot Covered Hopper Railcar Design
In the rail industry, hardware testing is a costly and time-consuming process, often limited to research and development at the Masters and Ph.D. levels. This level of detail is often unnecessary and cost-prohibitive for typical railcar manufacturing. However, as more railcars are phased out due to service age, there is a growing demand for new railcar designs. Freight transit by railcar is favored by many companies due to its low cost per high volume shipment. A new customer of BNSF Logistics LLC (BNSFL) requested a stress analysis on their covered hopper design. When it became clear that significant structural changes would be needed to meet the Association of American Railroads (AAR) requirements, the customer requested a larger scope of work beyond FEA verification. BNSFL was then tasked to deliver both the modified CAD design and supporting stress analysis. The success of the project depended on simulation to demonstrate the railcar’s structural integrity.
Case Study
Apollo Engineering's IoT Solution for Wheeled-Bobsled Redesign
Apollo Engineering was tasked with the challenge of re-engineering the aging, four-person wheeled-bobsled vehicles at Park City, Utah, which were providing a rough, uneven ride to the customers. The original design of the bobsled consisted of a two-piece fiberglass body connected by a steel yoke bolted to both pieces. The body design necessitated a long and poorly supported yoke. The challenge was further complicated by significant changes to the wheels and suspension system of the bobsled, including the removal of an axle in the middle of the vehicle, to produce a smoother ride. This meant that the yoke had to be redesigned and the forces on it had to be re-evaluated to ensure that it could withstand the stress, strain, and fatigue for safety purposes.
Case Study
IoT Implementation in Defense Research: A Case Study of TNO Prins Maurits Laboratory
TNO Prins Maurits Laboratory (TNO-PML) is a renowned institution in the field of defense research, providing scientific and technical advice in areas such as explosion safety, munition effects, ballistic protection, and survivability of weapon platforms. The laboratory combines experimental facilities with numerical analysis capabilities to deliver high-quality research. However, the challenge lies in the application of these research findings in real-world scenarios. The main applications of their research tool, AUTODYN, include terminal ballistics, injury biomechanics, safe field storage of ammunition and explosives, effects of bomb attacks and explosions onto structures, explosive materials processing, and mineblast modeling. The challenge is to effectively utilize these applications in a way that enhances the safety and efficiency of defense operations.
Case Study
Streamlining Railcar Coupler Design with ANSYS for Enhanced Safety
Voith Turbo Scharfenberg, a leader in the railway industry, faced the challenge of designing railcar couplers that could absorb the enormous energy created by a train collision, thereby enhancing passenger safety. The energy absorption systems had to meet specific standards and were required to function effectively not only during heavy impacts but also during smooth train operation or minor impacts. The components of the absorption system, particularly the rubber elements, undergo large deformation during a collision, making the simulation of these hyperelastic materials a challenge. Additionally, the specific nonlinear force-path characteristics of the absorption elements had to be met. The design assessment based on simulation of different collision scenarios was necessary to optimize the coupler and its energy absorption characteristics.
Case Study
Maximizing Material Temperature Capability in Pressure Equipment Design: A Case Study of ISGEC Hitachi Zosen Limited
ISGEC Hitachi Zosen Limited, a leading manufacturer of complex pressure vessels and heat exchanger equipment, was faced with the challenge of utilizing the maximum temperature capability of materials for the design of structural components in the oil and gas sector. The current ASME code (Section VIII, Division 2) limits the generation of fatigue curves up to a maximum of 371 °C. However, manufacturers wanted to use ASME Code Case 2605, a special rule for fatigue evaluation of 2.25Cr-1Mo-0.25V steels at temperatures greater than 371 °C and less than 454 °C. The challenge was to carry out full inelastic analysis, such as ratcheting elastic shakedown analysis, using the actual time-dependent thermal and mechanical loading histograms. The existing methods of treating plasticity and creep as two independent phenomena in stress and strain calculations using spreadsheet-like applications were subject to human error and could lead to unrealistic damage parameters.
Case Study
Epta's Transition to Cloud Environment for Enhanced Simulation Speed and Scale
Epta, a global leader in commercial refrigeration solutions, was facing challenges in evaluating and validating the performance of multiple refrigeration system designs under various working conditions. The increasing global engineering trends necessitated a deeper understanding of physics and large-scale simulation efforts. The traditional methods were not efficient enough to deal with these demanding requirements. The need for a robust, fast, and convenient environment, especially during production peaks, was evident. The challenge was to find a solution that could provide a flexible configuration to manage multiple projects simultaneously without compromising on the speed and scale of simulations.
Case Study
Simulation of Wind Turbine Sites Increases Power Yield and Reduces Risk
The development of onshore wind farms requires a detailed understanding of how prevailing wind conditions interact with local terrain and potential wind turbine installations. Many of the software programs currently in use are not well suited to complex onshore terrain where factors such as atmospheric stability, forestry, and turbine interactions play a significant role. The accurate prediction of wind conditions including wind speed, wind shear, wind veer, and turbulence intensity both under ambient and waked conditions is vital for intelligent project design. The challenge lies in finding a solution that can accurately model these complex wind climates and optimize turbine placement to maximize energy yield and minimize risk.
Case Study
NEM Energy's Innovative Solar Energy System: A Case Study
NEM Energy b.v. was faced with a significant design challenge in their concentrated solar power (CSP) system. The CSP system uses mirrors or lenses to concentrate sunlight onto a small area to drive a heat engine connected to an electrical power generator. The key challenge was to increase the stiffness of the mirrors for CSP. This was crucial to ensure that as much reflected light as possible is directed to the target, called a receiver, without incurring a cost premium. Stiffness was critical because a mere 1-degree rotation error for a heliostat 380 meters away from the tower resulted in a 6.6-meter tracking error, meaning the reflected light was delivered 6.6 meters from the intended target on the tower.
Case Study
Holcim (Brazil) S.A. - Fabrica Barroso: Simulation Reduces Operational Testing Costs of Dynamic Separators by Approximately 30 Percent
Holcim (Brazil) S.A., a leading global supplier of cement, aggregates, and concrete products in Brazil, was facing a challenge in the regulation of particle size used in creating cement. The size of these particles can significantly affect the efficiency of the cement production line. The company was seeking technology gains that could reduce operational costs and increase production efficiency. The challenge was to replace the expensive and time-consuming trial-and-error testing of separator performance with computer modeling. They also needed to simulate and classify the particles’ paths as a function of particle diameter to consider possible improvements that would increase separation efficiency.
Case Study
Optimizing Lamp Design with IoT: A Philips Case Study
Royal Philips Electronics, a global leader in the electronics industry, faced a significant challenge in the development of its Ceramic Discharge Metal-halide (CDM) lamps. The primary challenge was to create a lamp design that was both thermally and mechanically robust, capable of lasting a specified lifetime. To achieve this, accurate simulation of the gas discharge, wall temperature, and mechanical stresses were required. The complexity of these factors made it difficult to develop a lamp that could meet the high standards of durability and longevity that Philips aimed for. The challenge was not only to create a lamp that could withstand the rigors of use but also to understand the intricate interplay of various physical factors that could affect the lamp's performance.
Case Study
Increasing Engineering Productivity through Smart Deployment of Simulation: A Case Study on Oticon
The global hearing aid market is becoming increasingly competitive due to an aging population and higher life expectancy. In this environment, medical device manufacturers need to bring advanced products to market quickly and without incurring additional costs late in the development cycle. However, many companies deploy their engineering resources late in the development process to address design and manufacturing problems prior to product rollout. This approach often results in vital engineering resources being used to fix design problems rather than designing products that better meet customer needs and critical design requirements the first time. Oticon, a manufacturer of hearing aids, realized the value of engineering simulation and used it to design and validate key components of its devices. However, to become a global leader in innovation and stay ahead of the competition, Oticon needed to apply simulation to all the components interacting in the product, requiring a scalable, systems-level approach to design.
Case Study
Optimizing Hydroelectric Power Station Design with IoT: A Case Study of e3k and FLUENT Software
e3k, an Australian mechanical engineering consultancy, was tasked with optimizing the efficiency of a multi-nozzle Pelton wheel hydroelectric power station design. The challenge lay in the intricate examination of the branching distributor manifold, the nozzle design, and the rotating runner to extract maximum useful energy from the known head and flow conditions. The dynamic interaction between water jets and the runner created a particularly complex unsteady, multiphase flow field. This complexity made it difficult to identify areas for improvement and to understand the effects of potential design changes.
Case Study
Optimizing Ventilation Systems in Commercial Buildings: A Case Study of Dunham Associates
Dunham Associates, a mechanical and electrical engineering consulting firm, specializes in developing facility designs that maximize energy savings and optimize the indoor environment for building occupants. The company is committed to sustainable design and works closely with its clients to achieve facility goals. One of the challenges Dunham faces is designing effective complex mechanical ventilation systems for large new-construction commercial office buildings. Many of these projects seek Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification and incorporate innovative underfloor air distribution (UFAD) or displacement ventilation systems to deliver improved indoor air quality (IAQ) and thermal comfort to the building’s occupants. The ventilation system design must be optimized in terms of providing performance as well as energy efficiency.
Case Study
Engineering Simulation for Reliable Gearbox Development at Elecon Engineering
Elecon Engineering was faced with the challenge of developing a reliable gearbox that meets market demand. The complexity of gear mechanisms, which transmit rotation and torque between axes in a machine, presented numerous technological problems. To achieve high load-carrying capacity, reduce the weight of gear drives, and increase the strength of the gearbox, engineers had to carry out gear-tooth stress analysis and perform tooth modifications to optimize gear drive design. Performance parameters such as tooth bending, surface distress, and tooth deflection were contributing to gear tooth failure. The challenge was to evaluate gear tooth performance quickly, regardless of construction material and manufacturing processes.
Case Study
Schlemmer GmbH: Achieving Zero-Defect Goal with Simulation in Cable Protection
Schlemmer GmbH, a leader in cable protection systems, faced a significant challenge in testing the stiffness and deformation behaviors of their cable protection hoses. These tests, which include bending and crush tests, are crucial in determining the hose's ability to withstand combined tension, bending, and mechanical compression. However, these tests required the production of expensive prototypes, which was not cost-effective. Furthermore, the simulation of large deformations, material behavior, and nonlinear contact of the hoses required robust nonlinear capabilities. The company needed a solution that could provide valuable information early in the concept phase of a new product to reduce the number of prototypes required.
Case Study
Optimizing Automotive Engine Control Modules with IoT: A Delphi Case Study
Delphi, a global leader in mobile electronics and transportation components, faced a significant challenge in the design of their automotive engine control modules (ECMs). The ECMs use silicone rubber spacers in the shape of truncated cones to ensure thermal or electrical contact between different components. These spacers press the integrated circuit (IC) against metal heat sinks to provide a conduction heat transfer path to cool the circuitry. Determining the force exerted by the spacer is critical to the design of the module. Insufficient force would not adequately cool the IC or properly secure it, resulting in premature failure due to overheating or excessive shock and vibration. Conversely, the force cannot be set too high because of constraints in the ECM housing and printed-circuit board. The challenge was to accurately represent the elastomer material so spacers could be designed to provide an optimal force against the circuit board.
Case Study
FEM Analysis from Bois HD Reinforces Atelier Normand’s Wooden Structures
Atelier Normand, a French SME, manufactures complex wooden structures including advanced platforms. The company is faced with the challenge of quickly designing and manufacturing structures with more functionalities such as storage, evacuation routes, phone booths, etc., while still adhering to safety regulations such as Eurocode 0, 1, and 5. The company needed to identify potential weaknesses in their designs, validate their compliance with safety codes, and address safety questions related to the addition of components like guardrails. The challenge was to do all this quickly and efficiently, which was difficult with traditional methods.
Case Study
Flow Modeling Proves Hurricane Damage Caused by Wind, Not Water
A steel storage building located on a canal between downtown New Orleans and Lake Pontchartrain was damaged during Hurricane Katrina. The insurance company claimed that the damage, where the walls were pushed outward in two areas, was water-related. As the insurance only covered wind damage, the claim was denied. TRC Companies, Inc., representing the owners of the storage building, faced the challenge of proving that the damage was caused by wind, not water. The traditional approach of applying equations relating force and wind speed would not have included information about the building shape or accounted for the air flowing through open doors inside the building. TRC determined that a more accurate simulation of the pressure forces on the building would provide more persuasive evidence that the damage was wind-related.
Case Study
HyPerComp Inc. Enhances Aerospace Solutions with ANSYS ICEM CFD Tools
HyPerComp Inc., a leading software company in the aerospace industry, specializes in the development and dissemination of high-performance computational technologies. These technologies employ parallel computing code/hardware architectures and physics-based mathematical models to solve a wide range of problems in both defense and commercial applications. The company's technology strengths include general geometry CAD modeling and repair, unstructured hybrid gridding, user-friendly GUI-based preprocessing, domain decomposition tools for fine-grain parallel architectures, higher order accurate space and time discretization for solving linear/nonlinear partial differential equations, solution acceleration techniques, and knowledge-based expert system shells. However, the company faced challenges in converting customer-provided geometries from IGES format into internal ICEM CFD formats for subsequent processing. The need for a solution that could generate high-quality grids with minimum pre-processing and setup requirements was evident.
Case Study
HyPerComp Inc. Enhances Simulation Capabilities with ANSYS Meshing Solution
HyPerComp Inc., a company that develops high-performance computing technologies for defense, energy, and commercial product design, faced a significant challenge in accurately simulating the various linear and nonlinear processes that govern a physical phenomenon. The company's work involves complex, multidisciplinary physical processes, and a high-quality mesh is a critical necessity for these simulations. The company usually receives geometries in IGES format, which are then imported into their system. However, the existing process was not efficient enough, and the company needed a solution that could provide high-quality meshes suitable for the most demanding higher order solvers.
Case Study
Leveraging IoT for Efficient Drug Scale-Up in Pharmaceuticals: A Case Study of Dr. Reddy’s
The pharmaceutical industry is fraught with numerous challenges, from drug delivery to equipment design optimization and scale-up problems. Increasing raw material costs and the unavailability of the right raw materials at the right time pose significant issues in meeting stringent product delivery deadlines. Dr. Reddy’s, a global pharmaceutical company, faced these challenges and sought to explore engineering simulations to address them effectively. The company engaged with ANSYS to leverage their expertise in this field, aiming to develop accurate scale-up conditions by performing steady-state and transient simulations at each scale. They sought to study parameters like velocity distributions, mixing times, and species concentrations from one scale to the other.
Case Study
Optimizing Biomechanics Research with ANSYS Meshing Solution at Wayne State University
The Biomedical Engineering Center of Wayne State University has been conducting research in impact biomechanics and automotive safety for over six decades. They are a leading institution in the development of finite element models of the human body. These models are used to understand injury mechanisms during automotive impacts and help design countermeasures. They are also useful in orthopaedics biomechanics to understand in-vivo loading. However, due to the use of explicit finite element codes, the typical meshing objective is a high-quality fully hexahedral mesh that respects minimum element size criteria. The anatomical complexity and irregularity of shapes make meshing a critical task in the development of these models. The team typically meshes bones and organs, with geometrical data reconstructed based on medical imaging (MRI or CT scans).
Case Study
Revolutionizing Heat Exchanger Design with IoT: A Case Study on GEA Ecoflex India Pvt. Ltd.
GEA Ecoflex India Pvt. Ltd., a part of the Global Engineering Alliance Group, operates in the competitive heat exchanger sector. The company's primary challenge was to expedite the product development process while ensuring the heat exchangers met client technical specifications for safety, space, environmental concerns, structural integrity, and international standards. The company needed to reduce prototyping time to deliver innovative products to the market first and grow its business. The heat exchangers, being a vital element in a wide range of industries, had to deliver excellent return on investment, reliable operation, and reduced maintenance costs for the companies using them.
Case Study
Fast-Track Development of New Pump-Turbine Energy Recovery Unit with Stringent Efficiency Requirements
FEDCO, a leading designer and manufacturer of advanced high-speed liquid-driven turbochargers and centrifugal pumps for reverse osmosis desalination services, was facing a significant challenge. The company's main market is the supply of high-pressure pump and energy recovery equipment for seawater desalination. With water shortages and growing energy costs, the market was growing rapidly, attracting major international competitors. To sustain its growing market share, FEDCO needed to develop larger and more efficient models of its established hydraulic energy recovery units. However, the expense and time involved in building and testing large prototypes were not acceptable. The company had less than four weeks to develop a highly optimized fluid design before committing to final pattern and casting designs. The main challenge was that FEDCO had just one chance to get the hydraulic and casting design right, so every resource was devoted to that objective.
Case Study
Ensuring Building Safety During 'The Big Dig' with ANSYS/Mechanical
The Central Artery/Tunnel Project, also known as 'The Big Dig', was a massive undertaking in Boston, Massachusetts, aimed at replacing the Interstate 90 roadway. The project involved constructing a new seven-mile, 8-10 lane roadway and various interchanges, most of which were to be built 70 feet beneath the city. However, the project posed significant challenges due to its proximity to some of the largest and oldest buildings in downtown Boston. One such building was the One Financial Center, a 46-story office building located just 25 feet away from a 100-feet deep excavation for the tunnel. The building's owners were concerned about the potential effects of the excavation on the building's stability. The excavation process involved a 'de-watering' step, where water was removed from the dig site and surrounding soil. This could cause the ground to compress, potentially leading to building settlement, structural stress, and damage.
Case Study
Process Improvement in Stable Bleaching Powder Reactor at Aditya Birla Science and Technology Company
Aditya Birla Science and Technology Company was facing a significant challenge in their Stable Bleaching Powder (SBP) manufacturing process. The process involved the chlorination of hydrated lime by aerating an SBP solids bed with chlorine gas. However, the company was losing approximately 60 kg/batch of solids, which comprised of products, reactants, and intermediate compounds. These losses were resulting in significant time and cost inefficiencies. The goal was to minimize these losses without making major modifications to the SBP plant. The challenge was to identify process parameters that could be altered to improve the efficiency of the process. However, being a closed-loop system, onsite physical measurements were difficult to carry out.
