RESOURCE LIBRARY

This seminar focus on how metamodelling techniques speed up the search for promising designs by replacing computationally expensive design evaluations or simulations. In 2018, ESTECO joined this NAFEMS Web Seminar talking about how metamodelling techniques provide a global model of some design response, which can then be optimized efficiently. As, in the context of digital transformation, simulation is expected to spread all over the product lifecycle, metamodelling techniques too will be requested to adapt to different types of data and to exploit different types of predictive capabilities.

Imagine if you could examine dozens, hundreds, thousands of design alternatives before committing to a single component. If you could understand the tradeoffs you’re making between weight, shape and capacity? This white paper explores how leading companies are balancing the tradeoffs between components, materials, manufacturing processes and costs to create the optimal product for a particular market niche. Even though physics simulation is still the most frequently used type of optimization, innovators are moving towards agile product development routines. This helps companies make simulation relevant across the enterprise to shape a reliable and effective product innovation framework. Read about how companies like Bombardier, Cummins and Land Rover BAR have been successful in managing the complexity of modeling across multiple domains.

This webinar, cohosted by ESTECO and EXA Corporation in 2017, presents the successful integration of PowerFLOW simulation technology in the modeFRONTIER workflow to provide Ditch Witch® with valuable insight to guide the shroud design on one of its Vacuum Excavators. Watch it to find out how Ditch Witch® have performed multiple analyses, by integrating EXA's PowerFLOW simulation technology into modeFRONTIER workflow, on their equipment to gain a deep understanding of how key design parameters impact performance and manufacturing costs – critical inputs for next-generation machine designs. AGENDA Overview of EXA and ESTECO Focus on Simulation Driven Design Exploration > how to exploit PowerFLOW simulation software into modeFRONTIER workflow Case study > Explore shroud design options to improve machine performance of a FX65 Vacuum Excavator

This webinar, hosted by ESTECO and BETA CAE Systems, focuses on a reliability-based optimization method that statistically increases the safety of free fall lifeboats, which are typically used to evacuate passengers in oil platforms and large transport vessels. Dimitris Drougkas from BETA CAE Systems and Alberto Clarich from ESTECO demonstrate the advantages of the integration of their software in the modeFRONTIER multi-objective design environment for a reliability based optimization of a free fall lifeboat. ANSA software is used to morph the free fall lifeboats mesh by editing its shape and its initial position, and modeFRONTIER is used to automate the simulations performing an optimization under the uncertainties of the operational parameters.

Using modeFRONTIER to perform multi-objective cavitating propeller optimization Azimut Benetti Group is the world’s largest network producing megayachts and leading private group in the luxury yacht industry. Azimut-Benetti’s R&D Centre develops unique technologies, for an effortless and safe navigating experience. The Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering Unit (DITEN Department) of Genoa University work jointly with DETRA Custom Propellers and Azimut Benetti’s R&D Centre, using modeFRONTIER to optimize the design of a custom propeller for a high- speed Azimut Benetti 95 RPH yacht. ## Challenge The design of a propeller is always a trade-off between competing objectives and constraints: maximizing the propulsion efficiency and ship speed while avoiding cavitation and maintaining a sufficient blade strength. The traditional lifting line / surface methodologies define the propeller shape by including simplified geometric assumptions that make them not suitable for modern fast propellers design. The application of more accurate flow solvers and the automatic investigation, possible through the parametric description of the geometry (unconventional combinations of pitch, camber, or, for instance, local hydrofoil shapes), proves to be a successful design alternative for a high-speed propeller. ## Solution Following this new approach, the optimization of a reference propeller with modified rake distribution was driven by the MOGA-II, the genetic algorithm included in the automation workflow in modeFRONTIER. The experimental data collected at the cavitation tunnel confirmed the reliability of both the Boundary Elements Method and RANSE numerical approaches. A dedicated full-scale sea trials, performed with propellers manufactured by Detra, showed that the cruise speed achieved with the optimized propeller is 1 kn higher than the baseline propeller speed, geometry by while the cavitating behavior was also significantly enhanced. “The result is remarkable, especially keeping in mind that the increase of cruise speed, together with the enhancement of comfort onboard, is crucial to the perception of luxury yacht customers”, said Francesco Serra, R&D Office, Azimut Benetti Group. ## Benefits modeFRONTIER helped build an optimization framework to interact with the parametric description of the geometry to define each new blade shape and employ flow solvers to quantify how each propeller fulfills the constraints and the objectives of the design. “Starting from a set of 48 blade parameters to alter the reference propeller geometry, the use of MOGA-II algorithm allowed to compute and test 50,000 different geometries in about 5 days to achieve a satisfactory Pareto convergence and choose optimal candidates (one for any rake distribution) for RANSE analyses” said Michele Viviani, Associated Professor at DITEN Department, Genoa University.

In this joint webinar, ESTECO and RBF Morph present an innovative CAD-Mesh mixed approach to enhance shape optimization capabilities. Riccardo Cenni from SACMI describes how engineers at SACMI Ceramic Engineering Department leveraged modeFRONTIER, RBF Morph and ANSYS Workbench to develop an hybrid methodology combining CAD and mesh based approach overtaking the limits of the shape optimization based on the single disciplines. The approach helped find better solutions for the SACMI industrial component analyzed and turns out to be promising for future optimization projects. Agenda: Overview on ESTECO and its technology Overview on RBF Morph and its technology Introduction to SACMI and the engineering challenge Shape optimization: the CAD-based, the Mesh-based and the mixed approach Optimization results and takeaways

In this joint webinar, expert engineers from WB-Sails, Next Limit Dynamics and ESTECO demonstrate the advantages of the integration of their software, illustrating the details of the models, and presenting the results of the optimization. The focus of the webinar is to illustrate the optimization process used to enhance the shape of the sails used for Olympic disciplines and produced by the Finnish WB-Sails. The “flying shape” of the sail is modeled by a parametric CAD (Catia v5), and a non-stationary simulation is performed using XFlow, the CFD software by Next Limit Dynamics, recently acquired by Dassault Systèmes. The automatic simulation process was set up in modeFRONTIER. With only few simulation the optimization algorithm was able to identify the optimal shape, while minimizing resistance and heeling moment on the boat. Agenda: Olympic Sail Parametrization (Catia v5) modeFRONTIER integration with XFlow CFD software Optimization results and post-processing analysis

ESTECO and Enventive Engineering Inc. present the integration of modeFRONTIER, Enventive®, and Ansys Workbench to optimize the shape of an electrical connector. ​In this webinar Alexander Duggan ( Senior Application Engineer, ESTECO) and Kristin Dawson (Product Manager, Enventive Engineering, Inc.) demonstrate using Enventive® to analyze variation of the forces and friction between a pin and connector, coupled with using Ansys Workbench to determine the stress in the connector as it is deflected by the pin. By integrating Enventive® and Ansys Workbench, modeFRONTIER can optimize design parameters to ensure that the pin insertion force and contact reaction force fulfill design requirements while ensuring that the stress in the connector component does not exceed the yield strength of the material. Agenda: ANSYS Workbench for finite element analysis (FEA) Enventive's force and dimentional variation analysis modeFRONTIER integration with Enventive and ANSYS Workbench

​In this webinar Alberto Clarich (Technical Manager, ESTECO) and Giulio Cassio (Application Engineer, ESTECO) demonstrate how modeFRONTIER provides new advanced features for project complexity handling: a dedicated panel for workflow setting (Workflow Global Properties), the Design Space Node, the improved Subprocess Node and many more. Watch it and learn how: Automate the execution of complex chains of preprocessing and simulation tools with modeFRONTIER. Take advantage of the very flexible workflow and the wide range of direct integration nodes for the most popular simulation tools. Optimize your design choosing among of innovative algorithms to determine the set of best possible solutions combining the complex set of opposing objectives.

This webinar, cohosted by ESTECO and Ansys, demonstrates the benefits of using the new integration between Ansys HPC Parametric Pack and modeFRONTIER 2016 by presenting the results of two industrial application in the automotive field. Why watching this webinar? This webinar give insights on how to better leverage company's private cloud or HPC systems for faster simulation analysis. The case studies will show how to make the use of computational resources more efficient and save time with the joint use of the newly released modeFRONTER 2016 and ANSYS WB HPC Parametric Pack, that will make design optimization projects execute faster.​ ​​The first application was developed by BorgWarner Morse system and EnginSoft, dealing with the optimization of a tensioner arm. The second case study is aimed at improving the design of heat exchangers and part of an EU funded project, OptimHex.