Speeding up finite element analysis to accelerate iterations and explore more design configurations

Adapting to current demands

The aerospace industry is changing dramatically because projects are often smaller and the timelines are shorter. GKN Fokker, a designer and manufacturer of advanced structures and electrical systems, historically worked with large customers on projects that could last 10 years or more. Now there are many smaller customers that need to get their aircraft flying as soon as possible to generate income and make their name. This is especially true in new areas of aviation such as vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) vehicles where beating the competition to market is crucial. Additionally, manufacturers need to improve their environmental credentials, so facilitating electric, hydrogen and biofuel-powered aircraft requires further development.

This means that GKN Fokker, which has production companies that design, develop and produce structures, landing gear and electrical systems, must work faster while continuing to deliver the innovation and optimization it is known for. Engineers also need to ensure that all the necessary assessments are carried out to pass industry certifications and guarantee the aircraft are as safe as possible, all within a greatly reduced time frame.

Alexandru Macovei, senior stress engineer at GKN Fokker, explains that when he was trying to improve processes, he found the delay between design and analysis was too long. “We had to speed up our iterations,” he says. “So we identified that we needed software that would bridge this gap between design and analysis.”

In aviation, safety is everything, so the company had to ensure that any new analysis software delivered accurate results that would not compromise the integrity of designs. After an extensive product evaluation, Macovei chose Simcenter™ 3D software, part of the Siemens Xcelerator business platform of software, hardware, and services. “By using Simcenter 3D for analysis, we effectively mirror what we have in our design software,” he says. “This makes communication between the teams much easier and faster.”

Broad compatibility and modular design

Using the finite element method (FEM) for static analysis is a key aspect of testing to ensure the structural integrity of systems and components. Engineers at GKN Fokker use a variety of FEM solvers, so it was important for Macovei to find a simulation package that was compatible with all of them.

“Depending on what we’re analyzing, we need to use different solutions or engineers with different skill sets,” says Macovei. “So the fact that Simcenter 3D can be used with any solver was a big factor in choosing the product. This allowed us to use all our existing expertise rather than having to immediately retrain everyone.”

Macovei cites the modular aspect of Simcenter 3D as another key reason for selecting the software. “With associate meshes, we can work with a modular approach in which we make a sim file once and reuse it whenever the FEM is updated, or the geometry is changed. Since such changes are common and creating the sim file is time-consuming, this can ultimately save us days or even weeks of work.”

He also notes the benefits of orphan meshes: “With an orphan mesh we can recreate a geometry from the FE mesh. This can be a huge time saver when we are revisiting a mesh that is 20 or more years old, and we no longer have the geometry.”

Custom code and a simplified GUI

For GKN Fokker, using Simcenter 3D for customization not only helps save time but enables more team members to contribute, which frees up experts to work on product innovations. “Although Simcenter 3D has lots of great functionality built in, we knew that we would want to customize it ourselves at some point,” says Macovei. “Being Python based was a big advantage for us as it’s such a common programming language that many of our engineers are proficient in it.

“With the option to create a GUI once we’ve written our code, we can present it in a much simpler way for people who are not programmers so they can easily change parameters. This means we get maximum value from the software by making it accessible to the broadest possible audience.”

Faster iterations for improved optimization

Macovei says that Simcenter 3D has helped GKN Fokker increase both the speed at which they carry out analysis and the number of configurations they can test.

“The universal connections make it easy to define joints and fasteners between parts,” says Macovei. “This is extremely helpful when setting up quick studies or detailed finite element models. Before we had Simcenter 3D, it would take me several weeks to create a finite element model. Now I can do it in just a few days. This is also useful when transferring from a global mesh to a more detailed local mesh, to study a part since the connections can be transferred between the meshes.

“The modular approach of Simcenter 3D means that we can run many simulations to analyze configurations in the same time it would take to run just one, so we can iterate faster and explore far more design options to reach better optimization.

“Without Simcenter 3D, it wouldn’t have been possible to deliver the fast results our customers need. Previously, we could only compare a couple of configurations at a time. Now we can compare many more configurations and material options in the same time frame by automating much of the model creation process. Processing everything side by side allows us to easily analyze the results and quickly reach a conclusion on the best way to proceed.”

A collaborative approach

Of course, it takes time to learn how to use new software and integrate it within existing processes. Macovei points out his team’s successes would not have been possible without close collaboration with Siemens Digital Industries Software engineers.

“We opted in for the additional help from the support team at Siemens and they have been a great help,” he says. “They are always quick to respond to our queries and we have regular meetings to discuss improvements. It’s a collaboration where we are learning from each other. They’re very good at listening to us and understanding what we need.

“In the aerospace industry we must comply with strict regulations. We need to prove that our test results are accurate, and Siemens has enabled us to do that with Simcenter 3D.”

Pursuing further automation

Now that GKN Fokker has successfully bridged the gap between design and analysis, Macovei wants to enhance the company’s automation to reduce the time between iterations.

“We’re looking to implement the HEEDS algorithm in Simcenter 3D Design Space Exploration to automate some of our workflows and allow us to explore even more design options in an environment that is familiar to our engineers,” he says. “Once the engineers are comfortable with the tool and understand its benefits, we hope to investigate what additional benefits the standalone HEEDS package can offer and how its powerful tools can make us even more competitive in the market.”