Solving heavy industry challenges with Altair's next generation simulation suite

Together with cloud providers and our other HPC partners, Intel is driving the performance and flexibility that are critical to running advanced HPC workloads in the cloud. We collaborate across our HPC ecosystem to help cloud providers offer accelerated, secure, and agile environments using our latest technologies, such as Intel® Xeon® processors. As cloud customers continue exploring new possibilities and applications for HPC, Intel is dedicated to facilitating their success. Intel works with HPC partners from various industries to enable forward-thinking cloud use cases such as bursting, AI, and advanced analytics. Learn how Intel collaborates with Public and Private Cloud Service Providers to optimize HPC workloads for fast, cost-effective execution on Intel-based Cloud Instances.

This presentation discusses the rise of intelligent design technologies used throughout industry to rapidly assess and optimize product performance before physical prototypes. The session includes a brief hands-on demonstration of some of the latest, easy-to-use simulation technologies that are empowering designers and design engineers around the world to capitalize on the digital design revolution. Speakers: Dr. Royston Jones, CTO, Altair Ken Welch, Senior VP Inspire Design and Manufacturing Products, Altair Duration: 20 minutes

Dactem (a DAM group company), developer of specialist test, measurement and assembly solutions for the aerospace industries, presents an overview of the optimization of a thrust balance used for accurate measurements in electrical thruster qualification endurance testing. The presentation will provide details on how a Multiphysics simulation approach was used to find the optimum design taking mechanical, thermal and electromagnetic performance into account. Speakers: Emmanuel Pouleau, CEO, Dactem (a DAM Group company) Pierre Moutet, Engineer, Dactem (a DAM Group company) Duration: 15 minutes

This workshop demonstrates how a simulation-driven design approach to product development can have a drastic impact on the performance, design time, and profitability of a new product. Using a belt sander tool as a demonstration model, our presenters show how Altair’s design and simulation technologies can conduct a concept design analysis and optimization of the sander external housing to improve stiffness and reduce weight. They go on to show how we can simulate the manufacturing process itself by looking at filling, packing, cooling and warpage of the plastic housing; before concluding with a series of stress analysis and validation studies such as a virtual drop test, 3-point bending simulation and even a study of the effect of the heat transfer of the electric motor. This is a valuable session to see how simulation technologies can be used throughout the design process, adding value and reducing development time at each stage. Speakers: Ujwal Patnaik, Global Business Development Manager, Altair Chris Sambell, Application Engineer, Altair Duration: 60 minutes

Altair® EDEM™ is a discrete element method solver that enables users to accurately simulate particulate processes. When coupled with Altair Computational Fluid Dynamics (AcuSolve), these two solutions enable the simulation and analysis of two-phase solid-fluid systems. These simulation tools are widely used in various industries and in academia to deepen the understanding of different unit operations, such as mixers, coaters, fluidized beds and pneumatic conveyors. The unique and novel solutions that Altair offers address the challenges when using DEM and coupled CFD-DEM methods.

On an international stage, confidence in your design is the bridge to success. Engineering principles have been cultivated to satisfy design requirements and help analyze more and more accurately. For Team Albatross, as analysis of aircraft design holds crucial, Altair strikes to be the first choice. This integrated system houses major products such as Simlab, SImSolid, and Hypermesh which have helped us introduce new design validation analyses for the team. With Altair, we achieved greater computational power even on the simplest of laptop configurations. Altair Hypermesh has allowed dealing with complex geometries that come with our design with utmost ease, giving precise results. Powerful products of Altair such as SimSolid help us perform a plethora of analyses in a short span of time and completely eliminate the barrier of computing limitations. Such unique analysis tools of Altair have enabled Team Albatross to secure ranks in the top 3 for the past 2 years on an international level, and this year, Team Albatross also stood 1st nationwide. Seeing this, it is certain that with what Altair has to offer, Team Albatross is more than ready to advance in technological standards and bring laurels this year too!

AAM has been providing mechanical drivelines to automotive customers for more than 25 years. As the automobile transitions to electrification, so too must the driveline. AAM has developed a suite of innovative, lightweight, compact and cost-optimized electric drive units and electric beam axles to meet the growing global technology demand as electric vehicles continue to expand over the next decade. Engineering simulation, optimization and validation tools were significant enablers to increase the validation confidence and reduce the time to market for these new products.

Sustainable designs last longer. David Yáñez from Vortex Bladeless, a Spanish start-up, shares his vision of the technology, the strategies used for the integration of the different physical phenomena involved in the simulation-driven design, and the development of their resonating structures having minimal parts susceptible to wear by friction. The simulation results from CFD, with fluid-structure interaction, and electromagnetic field simulation are compared with experimental wind tunnel results and from in-service environments.

Dust is a serious problem for industries that handle and process bulk materials, causing deteriorating ambient air quality, human health concerns, while increases housekeeping labor costs to meet safe levels for health and fire risks. Learn from Dr. Andrew Grima about the technologies employed to develop a successful solution to minimize dust by using calibrated discrete element modeling (DEM) and new dust extraction technology.

Special-purpose machine design needs quick and flexible responses to individual customer requirements while maintaining a tight focus on quality and safety requirements. With limited time and personnel, the traditional FEM could not provide sufficient confidence for design decisions. Hear how ATNA Industry Solutions has turned simulation into a design tool. Speakers: Thomas Müller, Co-Founder, Commercial Manager, ATNA Industrial Solutions Hagen Möller, Design Engineer, ATNA Industrial Solutions Duration: 12 minutes

Gaining insights into a product’s performances has never been easier. With the HyperWorks Design Explorer, users can easily set up and execute the design of experiments (DOE) and optimization studies, learning which attributes contribute the most to the different performances, review, plot, and compare results from multiple runs, and ultimately identify optimal designs. The quick and easy setup process is solver independent, yet fully integrated with Altair’s structural analysis solutions. On the other hand, many design specifications are quantifiable and can be confirmed by physics but optimizing a design for subjective design requirements such as the look and feel of a product requires a different approach. This is when expertAI can help. It uses machine learning to enable you to include criteria that have traditionally been considered purely subjective or expert-driven in design optimization. The AI algorithms cluster your designs with respect to their subjective behaviors allowing them to be labeled to train a model aligned with your preferences.

What if you could create 1D simulation models that retain the precision of your 3D analysis while running up to thousands of times faster?

With lightweighting at the forefront of the sustainability discussion, Altair HyperWorks has introduced a targeted environment to rapidly create models for topology optimization. The complete HyperWorks Design Space environment includes an automotive-only non-design space library, collision detection, and a fast and efficient voxel Boolean mesh engine. It facilitates the creation of new model variants in seconds without the need to go back to CAD. In addition to automotive BIW architecture studies, it supports design space local and global modeling for generic sub-systems throughout different industries. The concept adhesive workflow is also available to identify location of structural adhesive.

The Digital Twin concept is broadly applicable to all Altair customer base wanting to develop better products faster. We will explain how to maximize the value you can get from the Altair Platform for Digital Twins. We will illustrate how this solution helps diverse engineering teams develop better, more complex products faster by avoiding work in silos. This will include proven uses cases for the convergence of simulation and data.

Nowadays, many Machine Learning techniques able to identify dynamic models from data are taking hold. But, can we support the learning phase leveraging our expertise obtaining models with better generalization property? To tackle this need and others we have developed a novel approach, romAI. This application combines AI and system modeling techniques to generate reusable continuous dynamic models extremely time-efficient, hence used as Reduced-Order Models to speed-up system design and optimization or in Digital Twins/Simulators for real-time applications.

As the demand for understanding part performance increases, design engineers are being asked to understand stresses and displacements early in the design cycle. Traditionally, when designing larger complex systems, the design process is linear, with CAE validation done after the design is complete. SimSolid’s revolutionary technology allows engineers to test multiple designs and what-if scenarios with a low learning curve while enabling a quicker, more integrated product development process.

Inspire’s new parametric modeling allows you to capture the evolution of your model’s shape by showing the linear sequence in which the geometry was created. You can roll the model backward or forward, as well as group, delete, insert, suppress, or edit entities in the History Browser. Inspire also features a new and improved sketching interface and several new sketching tools. See how you can use these new tools to seamlessly add, remove, and parameterize features in your model and then use the Variables table to quickly make design updates and see how they affect performance is in seconds to minutes.

In this session, we showcase the build and assembly of a full system model. Driven by Parts, Subsystems, and Connectors, the Altair HyperWorks™ model build and assembly workflow facilitates representation, revision, and configuration management for subsystem and system-level model building. We also demonstrate Altair’s AI-driven workflow to automatically group identical or similar parts.

In this session, we will showcase HyperWorks’ brand-new sketching tools, and some of the latest developments around geometry handling and mesh generation techniques, including midmeshing, mesh controls, tetra, and hexa meshing. We also show examples of using morphing to reshape parts for design, optimization, or assembly purposes.

In this session we will highlight how Altair HyperWorks supports efficient data processing and visualization, thereby helping users to make decisions faster. From the simulation-driven design workflow, fully integrated with HyperWorks’ model build functionalities, to the high-performance visualization and reporting of simulation results, HyperWorks provides the best framework to visualize, process, and report data

Product engineers are under constant pressure to reduce costs, improve quality and increase the throughput of manufacturing processes. Applying a simulation-driven design for manufacturing (SDfM) approach to product development can help understanding the product manufacturability early in the design cycle, while considering various design alternatives and choosing the best performing, manufacturable design up front. After a brief introduction of the metal forming process, the presentation will explore a typical use case of a sheet metal part - subject to static and dynamic loading – showing how simulation can be very effective in reducing cost for parts redesign and dies modifications, while providing engineers with valuable insights on the manufacturing process and product performance.

The goal for any design, structural and manufacturing simulation is to predict and fix defects early in the product development. This panel will discuss how design and simulation tools are helping engineers to be efficient. Experts will share their thoughts on current and future trends in manufacturing, focusing on how designs evolve using manufacturing simulations.  

Altair products are quickly evolving into AI-driven products. Starting from the modeling and visualization products, the latest release of Altair HyperWorks includes features like shapeAI, which quickly finds and classifies parts “by shape” inside geometry files or finite element meshes - when you want to locate all of the bolts, shafts, and gears in a complex assembly - by applying machine learning.

At Altair, we see a future where seemingly disparate systems work seamlessly together to help businesses succeed. Where pin-point accuracy and speed mean the difference between winning and losing. The world of data science is intersecting with high-performance cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and IoT, unlocking limitless potential and enabling enterprises of all sizes to compete on a global scale while creating a more sustainable future.

Formula Student is an international motorsport engineering competition where teams from around the world design, build and then compete a formula style racing car. In this presentation, Team Bath Racing discusses how they make use of Altair Inspire for topology optimization and how it enables rapid design iterations.

Presented at the 2nd Altair Academic Outreach Event in June 2021

Speaker: Conor Smith, Outboard Suspension Designer, Team Bath Racing
Duration: 18 minutes

This presentation provides an introduction to the Discrete Element Method (DEM) and its application to solve powder processing challenges. Use cases presented include the use of Altair EDEM to simulate a twin screw extruder as well as a proof of concept study using EDEM with CFD to investigate pneumatic conveying.

Presented at the 2nd Altair Academic Outreach Event in June 2021

Speaker: Dr. Akeem Olaleye, Research Fellow, University of Limerick
Duration: 17 minutes

Safety and reliability are paramount objectives of the aero-engine development work. Comprehensive dynamic simulation and testing ensure safe and reliable products. However, new design architectures with increasing demand for power density need to be developed in even shorter time scales. Robust structural dynamics are one key objective that needs to be addressed very early in the concept design. Today’s analysis tools need to make accurate dynamic predictions at the system level which takes a long time due to very large design iterations and robustness assessments. An approach to resolve this dilemma by combining Altair SimSolid with frequency-based coupling and data science thinking is presented. The presentation by Carsten Buchholz, Project Engineer for Hybrid Electric Flight Demonstrator at Rolls-Royce, aired at Future.AI in June 2021, and is almost 13 minutes long. Ready to see how your company can drive innovation with AI-powered design? Contact our solutions experts today. View all Future.AI 2021 Presentations

What makes artificial intelligence a game changer is not what movies depict with the loud destructive powers of artificially intelligent robots. It’s the opposite, it is the silent creative destruction that it brings as apps in our phones or features in the tools that we use such as spam filters, fraud detectors, and recommendation engines. When combined, these tools make our lives more enjoyable, safe, and productive. In a similar spirit, at Altair, we have been working on powering product design and development with AI to make your work lives more enjoyable, and productive. Our focus has been improving processes and outcomes by reducing repetitive, labor-intensive, non-value-added tasks as well as emulating experts and enriching performance predictions with real-time field predictions. What makes these offerings unique is their no-code integration to the tools that you are already familiar with and hence not requiring you to have to leave your own working environment. In this presentation, examples of such AI-Powered product design processes will be demonstrated. The presentation by Dr. Fatma Kocer, VP of Engineering Data Science at Altair, aired at Future.AI in June 2021, and is almost 30 minutes long. Ready to see how your company can drive innovation with AI-powered design? Contact our solutions experts today. View all Future.AI 2021 Presentations

For several years now, co-simulation between Multibody Dynamics (MBD) codes like MotionSolve and Discrete Element Method (DEM) software like EDEM has been used for many applications such as vehicles and material transportation. One missing link has been a realistic tire model that not only could interact with the soil material in a realistic way but also show the influence of varying tire pressure, change in contact area and pressure distribution over said contact area.

For very soft material such as deep mud with a high-pressure tire, using a rigid wheel is a decent approximation. But for tires on harder surface, this method has several short comings. For example, a rigid representation of the tire will have neglectable rolling resistance while the pressure distribution on a real tire has its peak well ahead of the centerline of the tire producing a resisting moment to the motion. The contact patch area will in reality not depend on sinkage, but the sinkage is dependent on the contact area that is dependent on load and internal pressure.

This presentation introduces the new PM-FlexTire model that is integrated in EDEM and will work with MotionSolve. Requirements for creating and correlating the tire model is presented together with several application examples on mud, clay and gravel beds.

Presented at the ATCx Heavy Equipment in May 2021.

Speaker: Jesper Slattengren, Technical Fellow, Pratt Miller

Duration: 20 minutes

TransAnt GmbH is an Austrian joint venture by ÖBB Rail Cargo Group and voestalpine Stahl GmbH with the aim to bring more efficient and effective transport alternatives on to the market and thus making rail freight transport more attractive and sustainable.

In this presentation the company talks about the development of their freight wagon “TransANT” - a revolutionary platform concept that reacts to the changing needs of their customers. Its 20% lighter underframe creates a payload advantage of up to 4 tonnes per wagon. Industry-specific wagon bodies and straightforward swapping make for ideal logistics solutions - adaptable to every type of logistical requirements. Using Altair software, the company is currently making TransANT assemblies ready for serial production.

Presented at the ATCx Heavy Equipment in May 2021.

Speakers: Anja Schmid, Key Account Manager & Andreas Tomschi, Development Engineer, TransAnt

Duration: 20 minutes

Zoomlion Heavy Industry have been developing a simulation model of a threshing system of a combine harvester using the Discrete Element Method (DEM). Optimization of the performance parameters like grain recovery, grain damage and grain loss with an optimal use of power is the overall goal of the model. Dealing with small size multi-spheres with varying material properties and processing of large number of particles in a reasonable time were the real challenges which we successfully handled using Altair’s EDEM software. An important performance indicator of the agricultural crop processing and grain handling systems is the damage to the grain that occurs in the system.

Zoomlion are continuously discussing and working with Altair’s team to make it possible to study this important performance parameter. They are fully determined to address & solve the problems which are considered un-solvable in construction and agricultural industry of the world.

Presented at the ATCx Heavy Equipment in May 2021.

Speaker: Syed Hussain, Senior Mechanical Engineer Zoomlion Heavy Industry NA

Duration: 20 minutes

The production of agricultural commodities is a multi-billion dollar industry in Canada representing nearly 7% of the national GDP. While the food production system is complex and specific to each type of product grown, challenges in processing, handling, and storing agricultural commodities occur throughout the value chain.

Significant benefits and insights have been derived from the ability to model the interactions between granular particles in systems in the value chain. Two case studies from industry are presented where the effects of the geometry of bulk grain storage and processing equipment are considered. In one case, detailed insights were developed about the variation in bulk properties due to filling and storage details. In a second case, geometric design details were optimized virtually during the development of novel processing equipment. This resulted in improved performance and reduced physical prototyping costs.

Presented at the ATCx Heavy Equipment in May 2021.

Speaker: Ian Paulson, Technical Services Lead – Simulation and Numerical Modeling Prairie Agricultural Machinery Institute (PAMI)

Duration: 20 minutes

In order to ensure the safety of passengers and on-board personnel, finite element calculation is used at SNCF as part of the acquisition, renovation / modernization projects of trains as a decision aid and preparation for testing approval of trains. This is the main case of the mechanical strength of bolted and screwed assemblies, and more and more of the integration of composite materials into rolling stock structures in order to make them more capacious and less energy intensive. To do this, SNCF is developing methodologies to make the modeling of bolted assemblies and composite parts more reliable, as well as topology optimization. The tools of the HyperWorks suite, and in particular, the OptiStruct solver, allow SNCF to represent its types of materials, as well as these phenomena (bolted assemblies + topology optimization).

Presented at the ATCx Heavy Equipment in May 2021.

Speakers: Patrick Jumin, Derik Joël Kengne Tapchom & Karim Slimani, SNCF

Duration: 20 minutes

G.S. Vidyaprakash presents how Lakshmi Machine Works Ltd. drives the design process with simulation. In his presentation First Time Right Machine Design with CAE Simulation, he discusses reliable simulation techniques to predict & prevent failure modes.

Dr. Fatma Kocer VP, Engineering Data Science at Altair showcases the impact of AI in development environments. In particular on how CAE tools will evolve and Design Exploration is taken to the next level.

Brett Chouinard, President and COO of Altair discusses Development challenges in Industrial machinery and illustrates how Altair's scalable simulation solutions provide the environment for simulation-driven innovation and how machine learning expands the capabilities furter.

Benoit Pelourdeau presents how Stanley Robotics SAS drives the design process with simulation, to develop the world's first robotic car storage service. Learn from him how the interdisciplinary mechatronic product development team succeeds with accurate virtual prototypes.

Daniel Jauss, Application Engineer CAE, gives a Demo Sessions on Altair Simulation Solutions for faster evaluation of real-world machines, explaining how to improve system understanding with dynamic motion analysis to Identify real behavior of the machine assembly and Identify peak loads.

Felix Koerfer, Technical Consultant at Altair, gives a Demo Sessions on Altair Simulation Solutions for faster evaluation of real-world machines, explaining how accurate structural assessment with real loading conditions allows assessment of global stress and deformations, evaluation of bolt forces, and how accuracy & deformation of linear bearings cna be achieved.

Simon Zwingert, Technical Consultant, gives a Demo Sessions on Altair Simulation Solutions for faster evaluation of real-world machines, explaining how, to improve the design with studies and the design exploration on the complete assembly to perform weld line optimization.