Simulation for medical devices
This example of modeling and simulation of a medical device shows an aortic valve geometry (left), a model of the effect of blood flow on the valve in a blood vessel (middle), and an Abaqus finite element analysis (FEA) of the stress on the valve leaflets during the diastolic phase (right). This work was performed by Dassault Systèmes SIMULIA in conjunction with the FDA’s Center... Read More
Cyber-Physical Systems: A call to action
NIST, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, has just published a trio of reports on Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS). “CPS go well beyond today’s ‘embedded systems,’ which are largely task-specific machines that operate under computer control. Anticipated CPS uses such as intelligent vehicles and highways and next-generation air transportation will... Read More
DARPA FANG: Social product development gets serious
There are some interesting social product initiatives out there. GrabCAD, LocalMotors, and Quirky come to mind. Yet, each of these initiatives only addresses a small part of a big problem. What if you wanted to tackle a serious problem—one that required not just design, but serious engineering as well? Let’s say, just for fun, that you were going to put together a social... Read More
From aspirational engineering to design space exploration: engineering practices and tools for the 21st century
“This is why we test.” It was one of the comments to a YouTube video, showing a dramatic rear suspension failure while running a braking test on a Force Protection MRAP vehicle. Another comment pointed out that this was a first generation design, which had been greatly improved since the test. When I saw the video, my first thought was that this was an example... Read More
SolidWorks Plastics
Mr. McGuire: “I want to say one word to you. Just one word.” Benjamin: “Yes, sir.” Mr. McGuire: “Are you listening?” Benjamin: “Yes, I am.” Mr. McGuire: “Plastics.” - The Graduate, 1967 Dassault Systemes SolidWorks Corp this week announced a new product: SolidWork Plastics. Actually, it’s not strictly new, and it’s not just one product. SolidWorks... Read More
Autodesk provides real-time DFM for plastic part design
There’s a lot of benefit to be had by doing manufacturability analysis (DFM, Design for Manufacturing) early in the design process, rather than waiting until later, when design changes are far more expensive. A couple of years ago, Autodesk Labs previewed a product, Project Krypton, which ran inside of 3D CAD programs (including Autodesk Inventor, DS SolidWorks, and PTC... Read More
Electromagnetic design tool provides short route to motor perfection
Cobham’s Machines Environment introduced a new level of user friendliness when it was launched by providing a design entry system that allows precision FEA models of motors and generators to be created and solved in minutes. The 2D version of the software has now been integrated with Cobham’s optimization tool which automatically finds the optimal solution within a design... Read More
Ice Dream: Towing an iceberg for fresh water
“With the world’s water resources projected to diminish by one third in the next two decades, providing pure water to an ever- increasing world population is vital,” Mougin explained. To Mougin and Mauviel, one solution would be to transport icebergs to areas that lack fresh water for drinking and even cooling purposes. The scientific challenges are impressive... Read More
MSC Software’s Patran and Marc software used in cellular research at Clemson University
The goal of this study is to construct a representative 3D finite element model of a biological cell based on the sub-cellular structures that provide the cell with its mechanical properties. The geometries for the model are constructed from 3D microscope images of cells using proprietary analytical algorithms, imported into Patran for pre-processing, and submitted to Marc for analysis.... Read More
10th anniversary of Maple T.A.
Maplesoft released Maple T.A. 8.0 with adaptive questions to help with student comprehension. These questions give extra guidance to students who give an incorrect response to a question, increasing their understanding of the concepts and techniques involved. Knowing the student is having problems, the questions can be adapted to walk the student through the problem step by step,... Read More
