Engineering the Future of Aerospace: The Promise and Potential of Emerging Technologies

The traditional approach to mechanical testing and numerical simulation is to perform the two activities separately. However, this approach can be inefficient and time-consuming. In recent years, there has been growing interest in the use of data fusion to improve the test-simulation dialogue. Data fusion is the process of combining data from multiple sources to create a more complete and accurate representation of reality. In the context of mechanical testing and numerical simulation, data fusion can be used to combine data from experiments, simulations, and other sources.

Data fusion can improve the accuracy of simulation results, reduce the cost of testing and simulation, and increase the efficiency of the design process. The use of data fusion in solid mechanics is still in its early stages, but it has the potential to revolutionize the way that mechanical testing and numerical simulation are performed. This presentation will discuss the potential gains that can be expected from data fusion in solid mechanics and the challenges that need to be addressed to realize these gains.

Featuring EikoTwin DIC by EikoSim, available through the Altair Partner Alliance.

Satellite communication, Earth observation from space, and space exploration are developing at rapid pace which requires breakthrough performance of the payload antennas. TICRA is enabling the design of new satellite antenna concepts by developing software tools targeting specific promising candidates for the next-generation payload antennas. We'll showcase several examples illustrating new antenna concepts that cannot be handled in general-purpose antenna design tools, implying that TICRA’s dedicated space-grade antenna software is a key enabler of the new payload technology.

Featuring Ticra software, available through the Altair Partner Alliance.

November 27, 2023 | 10-10:30 AM EST / 16:00-16:30 CET

Using a digital twin, aerospace engineers can accurately determine the performance of the system and then improve performance, generate savings and increase operational flexibility.  Aerospace systems have challenging thermal environments and requirements for thermal durability
including engines, fuel systems, avionics, and cabins. 1D-3D co-simulation is now being used for the modelling and simulation of these complex aerospace systems for new platforms and retrofits. By efficiently combining the 1D systems models and detailed 3D models, it is possible to evaluate a larger design space and optimize performance over variable use cycles.

Featuring TAITherm™ by ThermoAnalytics, available through the Altair Partner Alliance.

Embedded body as a proprietary immersed boundary method implementation, complemented by advanced turbulence modeling and efficient wall treatment, represents a cost-effective solution that eliminates the need for CAD clean-up, geometry simplifications and meshing. Applicable in both the automotive and aerospace industries, it adeptly facilitates aerodynamic simulations across diverse real-world configurations, providing results comparable to traditional body-fitted solutions. Most notably, with only a modest increase in computational requirements, it simplifies and accelerates the entire simulation workflow, thereby drastically reducing turnaround times. Along with the smoothed particle hydrodynamics technology, it has immense potential to address challenging industry applications related to moving objects and fluid-structure interaction. These emerging simulation technologies, suitable also to non-CFD users, are expected to significantly contribute to the democratization of CFD, fostering innovation and expediting design space exploration and optimization in aerospace.

Featuring AVL FIRE™ M by AVL, available through the Altair Partner Alliance.

During cool-down and removal from the tool curved composite laminates distort as a result of mismatch between the through-thickness and the in-plane thermal expansion coefficients, as well as a result of the complex cure shrinkage mechanisms taking place in the early stages of cure. Distorted components may cause problems during assembly, significantly increasing overall product cost, as well as well as its in-service performance. The application of numerical simulations in the area of autoclave curing processes has the potential for reducing process development cost and increasing the product quality.  Currently tool designers account for the process induced deformations based on their experience and often approach the problem using trial-and-error techniques. Although this can give good results for parts of relatively simple geometry, with increasing demand on the composite part complexity, more sophisticated models need to be introduced which can help to predict tooling geometry required to consistently produce structures of high-quality within tight dimensional tolerances.

Featuring Advance Cure Simulation by LMAT, available through the Altair Partner Alliance.

Developing future aircraft and sustaining aging ones requires the development and qualification of new materials through new innovative additive manufacturing methods, and enhanced fatigue analysis methods. In this live webinar, we will present two examples:

1) Fatigue performance of new additive manufacturing materials, from small structures manufactured by powder-bed-fusion to large structures manufactured by direct energy deposition.

2) Efficient fatigue testing and enhanced fatigue analysis methods using nCode DesignLife to determine fatigue performance of surface treatments (protective coatings and machining processes), with application to overhaul and maintenance of aircraft landing gear.

Featuring nCode DesignLife by Hottinger Bruel & Kjaer, available through the Altair Partner Alliance.